My Lionheart
by lanasmyfeather
Summary: Emma works in her parents zoo, taking care of the lions. On one late summer day she meets a brunette stranger. sq all the way.
1. Chapter 1

It was 5:47 when Emma opened her locker door carefully. She couldn't remember what she had shoved up there the evening before and she was afraid that the entire content of the locker was gonna fall on her. Luckily she had been smart enough to store her things away safely, and she was in no danger. She threw in her backpack and got around changing into her dark green overalls. She buttoned it up over her tank, pulled her long blonde hair on a ponytail before putting a cap on her head. After finishing tying the lashes of her shoes, she checked her looks in the mirror. She was ready for duty.

Hallways were mostly empty as she made her way to the yard. Morning birds had started to sing as she breathed in the crispy air. She couldn't help but smile since this was her favorite place to be. Step bouncing with the beat in her head, she made her way towards her destination. Using her key to unlock the service door, she let herself in her hearts home.

She made herself known, but whistling and calling good morning. Putting her stuff down she turned on some lights and put on the radio. It was so early they were only playing some music and that was the way Emma preferred it. She wasn't much of a people person, which is why her current job was perfect for her.

Emma Nolan worked in a zoo, taking care of lions. She had started the job quite young, since she had been taken under the wings of the zoo owners, the Nolan's. Emma had been fascinated by the large cats who had immediately taken her as their own. It was not uncommon for the wild cats to have nurturing feelings towards humans, especially children, but it was uncommon that it happened so fast. Emma was often called 'The Lion Child' since she grew through her teens spending most of her awake time with the lions. Her adoptive parents adored their daughters love for animals, and since it was not harming her education, they let her be.

Emma sat comfortably on the floor, next to the cage. She knew that even when she loved her lions, they were still dangerous animals and not to be taken lightly in any way. She studied animals and knew how these things worked.

She pressed her hand against the bars and gave a whistle. Soon a huge lion male made it's way from the darkness towards her, with his eyes wide and dangerous. Emma didn't avert her hand, but waited for the lion to come close enough to smell her. In no time the huge cat pressed his head against her palm and closed his eyes.

Emma smiled brightly and whispered "Good morning Mufasa. How's my handsome boy?"

Soon there were other lions coming closer to the cage door, each other greeting Emma in the same way Mufasa did. One of the female lions, called Marie had given birth to a cub only few months ago and even when Emma denied it every time she was asked, tiny Bianca was her favorite. She looked a bit silly, with her slightly bad coordination and floppy ears. She was the last to make it to Emma, but she sat down and pressed her entire other side towards the cage so Emma could pet her, which Emma happily did. Emma pressed her face against the bars to feel the soft fur of her little lion cub and closed her eyes.

In here she felt at peace, like she belonged. She loved the zoo and she loved all it's animals. She wasn't much of a people person, but few of the friends she had also worked in the zoo. Ruby who studied at the same school as she did, worked closely with the wolves. She was as into wolves as Emma was into lions, which had connected them from their first moments together. She had also became fast friends with their own fish girl Ariel, who was the head of their aquariums and all the wildlife there. Working alongside her was Ivy, who Ariel had fully trained to know any and everything about the sea life they had in the zoo.

Emma was really close to all of her friends, but there was no doubt that Ruby was her best friend and vice versa.

The mandatory walkie talkie buzzed alive on her desk. Emma knew who it was gonna be so she got up quickly to hear her fathers voice.

"Good morning sweetheart."

Emma rolled her eyes with a bright smile. It was kinda their thing. Emma had come to Nolan's when she was 4 years old. She had been in the system for a while, which had been tough time for her. But the Nolan's were ready for a challenge that was little feisty Emma Swan, and together they had worked through Emma's trust issues as well as her fears of being abandoned. Ever since her first night at the Nolan's, Emma had accompanied her parents to the zoo, which they owned. Her mother, Mary-Margaret was doing most of the paper work concerning everything in the zoo, but during her off moments, you could definitely find her in the bird house.

Emma's father, David, was actually the reason Emma really got interested in lions in the first place. David used to take care of the cat animals with this sweet guy called Lee. David took the little Emma to see the lions the second they stepped inside the zoo area. Emma fell in love with them and refused to leave until the zoo closed for the day. She had been regular guest on the zoo almost daily ever since. She had of course needed to go to school and study, but knowing that she got to see her lions afterwards made up for the boring lessons at school. Emma was a bright kid from the beginning so school had never caused her any trouble and she had always done well to her parents great proudness.

Emma was now 24, and when she was in her teens she used to insist that she was not gonna be dad's little sweetheart forever, but David had stubbornly proclaimed that she always would be. From that day forth, David always called her sweetheart, no matter what.

"Morning dad."

"How's the king?"

Emma glanced at Mufasa who was walking back and forth in front of the yard entrance, waiting to get out into the morning air.

"As handsome as always, waiting to get out." Emma answered crouching down to pet her little lion cub.

"What about your favorite?"

"For the last time dad, she-

"- is not your favorite, yeah yeah yeah. How is she? Still floppy and cute?" David laughed.

"Yeah." Emma smiled and tickled Bianca behind her ears.

"In that case go ahead and let the family out, I will come to check on you and bring you breakfast after I have done the rounds. I think your mom will stop by at some point too." David told her while Emma could clearly hear him leaving to do his rounds. "And before you even start, your mom packed both of our breakfasts, she said something about us not eating enough."

Emma laughed. That was very like her mother, she always worried about them eating which caused her to somewhat overfeed them. Emma and David were great friends of food, so neither really knew where Mary-Margaret got the whole idea of them not eating.

"Alright. See you later, dad."

"Stay safe, kiddo."

"Always. Love you."

"Love you too."

Emma fastened the walkie talkie to her belt and exited the back room. She went to the yard to check that everything was alright and that the outside area was ready for the lions to be let out on. When she returned inside she could hear Mufasa make noises of displeasure.

"Wait, you big baby. You know how this works. Don't get grumpy with me."

As everything was ready, Emma opened the door to let Mufasa out. Two of the females seemed to be in the need of the same, as they followed him out. Marie happily laid on the floor, having just fed her tiny baby. Bianca was happily walking around, getting familiar with her feet like she did every day. For any small child, every new day was an adventure and everything familiar seemed new and exciting.

Emma leaned on the cage and just looked at the lions. This was her favorite part of the day, where she could just hear the quietness around her. Her lions were out and happy, the zoo was not filled with people yelling and trying to get the animals to do party tricks, she herself was not busy with other stuff that required her attention.

She was roused by the voice of her cellphone. The ringtone was specifically picked to fit for her mother and whenever it started to play, Emma could not help but laugh. Yeah, it had been her idea to put 'I whistle while I work' as her mothers ringtone. The woman was always happy, she loved birds and she run a goddamn zoo. It was a natural pick. Emma rushed to pick up.

"Hey mom."

Emma was not surprised when her mothers chipper voice greeted her. "Good morning, Emma!"

"Are you on your way here?" Emma asked as she could feel her stomach rumble.

"I am. I called your father to meet me at yours. I'm bringing breakfast." Mary-Margaret told little breathlessly as Emma could hear her walk briskly in the crispy morning air.

"Yeah, dad mentioned during his morning call. I cannot wait, I'm so hungry!" Emma whined, like she always did when she was around her mother. When she had been first brought to the Nolan's, she had been so guarded and careful. She would not complain about anything, in her fear of being send back. But the longer she stayed, the more she was loved, she relaxed and she realized that these people would still want her even as she moaned and groaned about silly stuff sometimes.

"I know, my big baby. If you would not run out of the door at the crack of dawn like your father, you would get breakfast at home!" Mary-Margaret laughed and Emma could hear the staff door to the lion shelter open. Soon her mother rounded the corner, still holding the phone to her ear. Emma clicked hers off and rushed to hug her mother.

"I know, mom." Emma smiled brightly as Mary-Margaret wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"How are your little beasts?" Mary-Margaret asked, as she patted Emma's cheek when they let go of each other.

"Hey! These are my babies you are talking about!" Emma pretended to be offended as she always did when her mother called her beloved lions 'little beasts'.

"I know I know, sorry. How's your little favorite doing?" Mary-Margaret asked as she bend down to push her finger through the cage for a little Bianca to sniff. Bianca seemed to like the smell as she pushed herself fully against the bars.

"She is not my favorite." Emma said strongly. As if knowing what was said, Bianca turned to look at her with her eyes wide, looking almost hurt. Emma could not deal with that face as she quickly bend down to whisper. "I did not mean it baby. You are my favorite."

Bianca pushed her head towards the bars to show affection and Emma pushed hers against them as well.

"Okay, settle down babies, momma has some breakfast." Mary-Margaret informed and just in time two of them heard the door open and soon slightly breathless David rounded the corner. Without saying a word he made a bee line to his wife, wrapped his arms around her and dipped her before kissing her deeply. Emma rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the fluttering in her chest. When she had first arrived at the Nolan's, she had been shocked to see the amount of affection David and Mary-Margaret consistently showed each other. It wasn't kissing all the time either, it was things like touching each others arms or resting their heads together. After the shock wore down, Emma couldn't help but to feel warmed by that.

"Okay break it up, I want some breakfast." Emma groaned after a while. Even when she was happy her parents were in love it did not make it any easier to see them sucking face for longer periods of time.

David and Mary-Margaret broke it apart. While Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes and turned to set up breakfast, David made his way to Emma to give her a hug of good morning. One thing Emma had learned early on was that her dad was a hugger. And not just any hugger, a very gifted and fluffy one at that. He was constantly hugging people, which gave him even more of a soft side. Emma wrapped her arms around her father just as tightly.

"Good morning sweetheart." David whispered like he always did and kissed the side of her head.

"Morning dad." Emma whispered back. They only let go of each other when a tiny growl was heard. "Are you being jealous?" Emma laughed as the tiny lion cub looked at her accusingly. She bend back down to tickle her fur and loud purr was being heard.

After Mary-Margaret had set up breakfast to Emma's desk - "Honestly Emma, you should keep this place tidier" - the family quieted down to enjoy they rare moments together. Running a zoo was not an easy task and since the entire family was working it was even more difficult to find time together since their responsibilities kept them busy til late to the evening. Of course they saw each other during the day, but sharing a meal was a rare occurrence ever since Emma had grown up to be her own person.

They cleaned up after themselves together and after kissing both of their cheeks Mary-Margaret made her way back to the office, getting ready to open the zoo to a new day. David helped Emma to check up on her little lion cub while endlessly teasing her daughter of having a favorite. Emma just kept rolling her eyes, trying to ignore it but she couldn't help but smile.

Gates opened to the public at 10 am and by that time everyone else had also arrived at work, ready to start their day. Emma knew she had the feeding time for her cats at 1 pm and she had already done all her paperwork and necessary arrangements for the feeding. Her lions were happy to jungle on outside enjoying the sunlight.

She made her way to see her best friend Ruby who was always outside around this time of day. She wanted to sit around and hear what people were saying about her beloved wolfs. Emma sat down on the bench next to her and they fist pumped. They were quiet for a long time before Ruby spoke.

"What are you doing on Friday?"

"Working. Why do you wanna know?" Emma asked suspiciously, while looking around the early morning people that were slowly gathering, trying to find the animals. One of the kids was basically dragging her mother with her to see the wolves. Emma hoped that the kid would.

"Some of us are planning a night out and you definitely should come with us." Ruby said, her smile wide as she too was observing the excited child who was screaming from joy from having seen a wolf.

"Rubes, you know I can't. I have to-"

"Close down for the night, I get it. But it wouldn't hurt for you to have some fun." Ruby finally looked at her, raising her eyebrow. Emma met her eyes with her own before sighing.

"I'll see what I can do okay?"

Ruby let out a loud squeal before wrapping her arms around Emma's shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. Emma couldn't help but to laugh at her friends excitement and she happily hugged her back. They said their goodbyes and Emma continued her rounds through the park. Many of her coworkers were out and about, getting ready for their feedings and daily routines. Emma could also see her mother rushing around but she knew better than to stop her. Mary-Margaret Nolan was a woman on a mission whenever she entered the zoo premises and stopping her was only distracting her from the important work of running a zoo.

She had made a full circle and returned to her lions. Since it was a Monday there weren't a lot of people there. Mostly mothers with their smaller children, older couples or school groups. The tourists and locals would come around later or during the weekend. And at the moment, there were only few people near. Emma leaned on the railing by the lion enclosure as she just watched her lions. Even behind a glass they knew it was her and all of them came closer. She wanted to press her hand against their fur like she always did but she did not fancy going back inside just yet.

She backed away from the railing and sat down on one of the benches near by where she had clear view of her babies. Chilly wind was whipping her hair around a little bit and she could feel her cheeks lose a bit of their warmth. She was sure they were bright red. Giving a general look around she saw that someone had sat down to the other bench right next to hers.

Emma wasn't one for staring but something about this woman just caught her attention. Shiny dark hair was being gently danced by the wind and Emma could catch a swift of the shampoo this woman used. She was not sure what it was but it was definitely something she liked. Covering the top of dark curls was a grey beanie hat that somehow seemed out of place when you looked the rest of the woman, but what made her look all the more adorable. Adorable? Now Emma thought she was adorable. Shaking herself she decided to continue her subtle staring. She was wearing a black jacket with a red scarf tucked tightly under the labels. Only a bit peeked from around her neck. Black leggings and heeled boots followed and next to her there was a big black purse. There was something so regal about her that it left Emma quite speechless.

But what finally captured Emma's attention was what the woman was holding in her hands. It was a book. Simple as that, but it was a book she knew well. It was the same she had worn out on her bookshelf in her little lion cave. It was a book filled with marvelous pictures and beautiful artwork mixed in with information about lions. Emma could feel her heart jump as she stared at the book. The unknown woman, a beautiful woman was reading her favorite lion book, outside in the zoo, next to her lions.

Emma had no idea what happened next but she could feel eyes on her. As she lifted her gaze she could see gorgeous brown eyes drill into her own. So Emma did what she did best when she felt uncomfortable. She got up and swiftly walked away. Only when she got to the service door that lead her to her lions, she face palmed herself.

"Such a peopleperson aren't you Ems?" Emma cursed under her breath. Well, she was positive she would not see the woman again. I mean, it was a big city and their zoo was one of the best in the country. A lot of people came by and maybe this woman was just a tourist. Yeah, there was no way she was gonna see her again after what happened today.

"Emma, do you copy?" the walkie talkie sprang to life with her fathers voice.

Emma took few deep breaths before answering. "Yeah dad."

"I need your help for a bit. I don't know what's wrong with David Jr. He seems a bit out of it, so could you please come here and help me?"

"I'm on my way." Emma said before rushing to help her father with one of his tigers. And oh yes, her father had a tiger named after him, just don't ask any further questions.

Emma was back to feed her cats at 1 pm and there were already more people in the park by then. Few school groups had just made their way to see the lions to be fed and Emma was excited. It was always good when people came to see her lions. After that the day went by calmly. She went to help Ruby to clean some of the insides spaces for her wolfs after she finished cleaning her own. Emma kept her eye out but she did not see the strange beautiful again which led her to believe even more that she was in the clear with her embarrassment. But for some reason she could not stop thinking about her.

She closed down the park with her parents, going through all the doors on all the animals so everyone could have their nights sleep safe. They all left with their own cars since as it was obvious they all arrived at different times even when it was within the same 30 minutes.

That night in bed, before closing her eyes Emma found herself thinking of the woman. There was something so striking about her that had left Emma completely mesmerized. In a way Emma hoped she would come by again to study her lions and read about them. Maybe Emma could see her again... That caused Emma to slap herself. Enough thinking of gorgeous women, she had work to do tomorrow. Jeez.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning started off pretty similarly except Mary-Margaret insisted they all eat breakfast at home instead of at the zoo. The Nolan's got a early start on their day anyway and were at the zoo just after 7 am. Emma knew she was in no rush today and she took her time enjoying the company of her animals. She even moved Bianca to a smaller cage, so she could go in herself. It was something that she had done with all her baby lions. It was a human contact what the animals could not get in the wild, but since Emma knew that these lions would always be living in captivity, being close to humans was beneficial to them. Even when Emma loved animals, she was not a huge fan of zoos, and neither were her parents. They had taught her early on how much happier these animals would be in the wild, back in their natural habitat.

What was special about the Nolan's zoo however was the fact that they took in injured and misplaced animals that had gone through acts of cruelty by humans. It was like rehab center kind of a thing, where the animals could heal and learn to trust people again and live a happy life. Emma had no doubt in her mind that every animal in the zoo was loved beyond anything. Each of them had their own caregiver who has specialized in them.

Emma spend her morning with Bianca before releasing her to spend more time with the other lions. She was well aware that she could not make Bianca her own cub because that would cause problems with the other lions in a long run.

She made her way out to go and get the food before her lion feeding. She was very pleased that no matter the day, her lions gathered a crowd of people. Emma loved her lions and she was proud of the work she had done with them since they were small. Emma Nolan wasn't one to be cocky about her accomplishments but even she could write this down on her book.

Making her way out of the maintenance door, she took a turn to the right to go and see her lions for a short while before her lunch. Leaning on the railing she opened her phone to see a text from Ruby. Reading through it she rolled her eyes. She knew she would regret making a promise.

 _Hey Ems, ask your parents can you come out with us on Friday? I know you hoped I would forget, but I didn't, HA! I'm expecting an answer this time as well and it better not be no!_

Emma knew she had stood Ruby up more than once with evenings out. It was not that she didn't want to go, but she also couldn't say she felt awfully comfortable with drunken people around either. She knew it had something to do with early experiences in foster care, but these people were her friends. Emma also knew that when she would ask her parents permission for this night out they would literally give her an entire day off just to get ready. Her parents wanted only the best for her and Emma once again thanked whatever higher power that had placed her with the Nolan's.

Deep in thought Emma had not noticed that someone had joined her on the railing. Chocolate eyes were looking at her every once in a while, slowly studying her. It took a while for Emma to realize someone was watching her. She turned sharply to her left and was met with the same piercing brown eyes from yesterday. That surprised her enough for her to stumble back a few steps which caused her to lose her balance. Emma could feel her ass hit the ground and in seconds a deep red of embarrassment covered her face.

The brunette stranger let out a breathy giggle, that somehow made Emma's heart beat just that much faster. What was happening? Was she having a heart attack?

A hand was offered to help her up and Emma slowly took it, without looking at the woman in front of her. She was so embarrassed. After muttering a quick 'thank you', looking at her feet seemed to be appropriate thing to do. Neither of them said anything for a good few minutes. And then.

"I didn't mean to startle you." was offered in rich, deep voice with a hint of smile mixed in. Emma felt every word hit her body in the most appealing of ways, which only confused her further. She took a breath and chanced a look at the woman.

She was just as beautiful as she was the day before, with the same coat and beanie and gently curled hair framing her face. Emma had noticed the woman had brown eyes, but damn, seeing them up close was even better. Oh god, she had to get herself together.

"It's okay. I was... Deep in thought." Emma stammered a little, but decided to tackle this conversation head first. So what if the woman was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on? She could still talk and act professional, because that's what she was. A professional. On lions granted, but that was beside the point.

"So it seemed." the woman smiled, revealing her white teeth. Emma shot a shy smile back. The silence that fell between them was getting slightly awkward and it seemed they both were very much aware of that since they started to break it at the same time.

"I -"

"Have you-"

They both laughed a little and Emma could feel herself getting more comfortable. She clearly wasn't the only one who was slightly nervous and that helped her greatly.

"You go ahead." Emma smiled and the brunette smiled back.

"Yes, well. I was gonna say that I'm terribly sorry if I did something wrong yesterday. You fled rather quickly." the brunette woman said, slipping her hands into her pockets.

Emma felt compelled to reassure the woman and put her mind at ease. She knew she was potentially gonna sound foolish, but in that moment it seemed like a lesser of two evils. "No, you didn't do anything. I was just... startled... I guess? I mean you were reading my favorite book and suddenly you were looking at me and you were so pretty and..." Emma started to ramble, brushing her fingers through her hair nervously, not noticing how beautifully the brunette was smiling at her. "And I'm really not that good at socializing, or as my friends say 'not a peoplesperson' and so, I ran." Emma somehow managed to finish her rant with another awkward laugh, hoping over hope she had somehow made the stranger feel better.

Lifting her gaze she was met with highly amused smirk and crossed arms. Emma was ready to defend herself but she didn't get any malicious vibes from the woman so she waited to see how things were gonna unfold.

"Not a peoplesperson huh?" was asked behind the smirk. "I think you are doing rather well, dear."

"Hey now, you should feel special, I normally don't do this well." Emma laughed, feeling the previous defensiveness vanish.

"I do." was said quietly and before Emma could ask for elaboration the brunette was asking a question. "What were you gonna ask me?"

Emma Nolan had one good, well served conversation starter that worked with absolutely anyone. Were it at work or somewhere else. Granted Emma hardly ever did anything besides work, so so far it had served her well and she had had many good conversations. She wasn't shy to use it now either.

"I was gonna ask have you ever seen lions before?"

Something behind the brunette's brown eyes lit up in that exact same moment Emma said the word 'lion' and the biggest smile made its way onto her face. Emma watching in utter amazement as this regal, put together, sophisticated woman was turning into a red cheeked, slightly vibrating ball of excitement before her very eyes. It made Emma think of some of the smaller kids that came to the zoo for the first time and how amazed and excited they were about absolutely everything.

"Oh yes I have." was a slightly breathy, but definitely eager answer. It was obvious that she was trying to tone down her own happiness and excitement which made Emma frown. No one should have to hide their source of happiness.

Now that they seemed to be on a familiar ground for both of them, Emma felt comfortable enough to ask a follow up question. "Where have you seen them before?"

"I have traveled a lot for my job and that has allowed me to visit several zoo's on my spare time. No matter how much time I have in a place, I always go for a few minutes, just to see the lions." the brunette couldn't hold down the smile that was waiting to break out. Her whole body seemed to soften, to calm down as she got more comfortable, more happy.

"That sounds so cool! I really love the lions too." Emma said, looking at her cats fondly. It felt nice to talk to someone who was just as excited about lions as she was. Many people loved lions sure, but only very few were able to hold up a full conversation about them.

"So I would have guessed, dear. I mean you do look after them." there was that smirk again. Emma rolled her eyes goodheartedly. She was suddenly dying to know more about this woman, and about the lions she had seen.

Emma had never really left her state, so she hadn't really had the chance to see other zoo's or their lions, not anything. There was the need for an adventure in her, the need to see the cities she had only heard stories of, but there had never been a right time. Her mother on the other hand was called away often to help struggling zoo's. There wasn't a time that Mary-Margaret Nolan returned without a story and photos to show. She often held these evenings to her staff where she shared the problems of their fellow zoos and how they were solved, in order to educate her professionals in case the same kind of situation ever arose later in life.

Mary-Margaret had promised that the next time she was called to go away, she would take Emma with her. It was time for her to learn the fine points of running a zoo, because as Mary-Margaret so dramatically put it, "it was gonna be hers one day".

"Is this the first time you have visited this zoo?" Emma asked, leaning on the railing, giving the woman her full attention.

"I visited a few times when I was younger, but today was my first time since my childhood. I moved here only a few days ago and after I was settled enough, I headed over. I have heard so many great things about this zoo over the years. It's one of the top ones in the country." there was nothing left of the nervousness they had before. It was almost like they were two friends catching up after not seeing each other for a while.

"Well, I do have to agree. It's really amazing here." Emma was smiling really big now. It was no secret that they were the best, but it was always nice to hear someone say it out loud.

There was gonna be another question, but it was stopped by the call noise of the walkie talkie. Emma held up a finger to ask for a second and the brunette notted. Emma snapped the walkie talkie off her belt and answered. "Yeah?"

"Emma, the food delivery just came from the warehouse, come and pick up your baby food." David was sounding chipper, that seemed to be a common thing for the Nolan couple. It was nearly impossible for anyone or anything to annoy them enough to cause a bad mood.

"I will be there in a second dad." Emma said to the walkie talkie, releasing the button. She checked the time and realised she should have been there good 15 minutes ago. It was surprising it had taken her dad this long to call her.

"Okay, kiddo. See you in a bit." and the walkie talkie rattled shut.

Emma placed it back on her belt and looked up at the brunette woman apologetically. The other woman just smiled. "I heard you have to go. It's okay, I don't want to keep you."

"Yeah, gotta start the feedings. It was nice meeting you though." Emma said and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. She didn't want to go yet, the conversation had only just begun. They were strangers, but something small in Emma was hoping that they weren't. The other woman was a mystery to her, a mystery she desperately wanted to solve. But how did she go about asking her to meet again? What if she just-

"It was nice to meet you too. Maybe we will bump into each other again at some point." sly smirk was very much in place, like the woman knew what she was thinking. "I mean, I do love the lions and I'm currently not busy with work, so you might see me around..." was the gorgeous stranger flirting with her?

"I... I..." Emma stammered, desperately trying to sound cool and casual. "I would like that."

"Well in that case, see you soon. Em-ma." the brunette rolled her name in the most enticing manner and Emma felt slightly breathless. Breathing around this woman was turning out to be a full time job.

Emma was too busy being dumbstruck to notice the brunette had started to walk away. When she finally did, she yelled after her. "Hey, I don't even know your name!"

The woman turned and her dark curls whipped against her face and there was a soft smile on her face as she answered. "My name is Regina."


	3. Chapter 3

The day ended up going really fast after that. Even when it was busy, Emma still found time to think about the gorgeous stranger, Regina. There was something about her that held Emma's full attention. Often times she didn't really know how to go about talking to new people, but after they had broken the ice Regina had turned out to be an easy person to talk to. It was rare to find people like that.

She often worked shorter days on Tuesdays, remnants from her days at the university when she had had a lot of studying to do. Her parents were intent on making sure the work wasn't the only thing in Emma's life even when it was hard to tear Emma away from her lions even on these rare short days.

Today was no different and David needed to escort her daughter to the dressing room door and after she was done getting her things, he took her to the gates. David pulled Emma into a hug which she happily accepted. She would never get tired of hugging her parents, no matter how old she was.

"Have a relaxing afternoon Emma, try and have some fun." David encouraged her.

Emma rolled her eyes goodheartedly and answered, pulling back from her dad. "I know how to have fun you know." in which David nodded, and pushed her daughter out of the gates. Emma poked her tongue out but waved at her dad happily before disappearing down the road.

Mary-Margaret appeared next to David and looked at the general direction where her daughter had just disappeared to. She took her husbands hand gently and whispered. "Did she go okay?"

"Well you know our Emma, I had to push her out of the gate." David laughed, but he was clearly proud of his daughters commitment to the zoo they all loved.

"She seemed to be in a really good mood today when she came in to drop the forms to the office. She was smiling really big." Mary-Margaret wondered out loud as they started to make their way back towards the office building.

"I think I know why." David was grinning "I was on my way to Food Storage and I thought I would stop in to pick her up, because her new baby food got in today as well. But as I was walking closer I saw her talking to this woman. She was all flustered, but she was also smiling so big as they were talking. I think she was a bit smitten with the lady."

"Oh my. Should we ask her about that?" Mary-Margaret wondered out loud, her tone warm and her eyes bright.

Emma had came out to them a good few years ago when she had briefly dated a girl she met at school. When she had first arrived at the Nolan's she had been constantly afraid they were gonna send her back. Emma had always thought she managed to hide her fears from her parents but the palpable fear had been easy to read from her face. And since the beginning they had made sure to show Emma that she was theirs, that they were gonna keep and love her no matter what. That feeling hadn't passed Emma's face since she was young but when she had come out to them, it had been as clear as a day on her face once more.

The thought that their child, even after all those years, was afraid that there was something that would make them give up on her was heartbreaking. Especially something as loving someone. Mary-Margaret remembered how they had pulled Emma into their arms and how their grown daughter had cried herself breathless. They had assured her that she would never ever have to be scared, they were gonna love her no matter who she was in love with. Emma told them stories about how some of her older siblings had suffered in the homes that weren't so happy about the foster kids sexuality. Some of the stories still haunted Mary-Margaret and she once again thanked whatever higher power there might be for bringing their daughter into their lives.

So Emma being completely smitten and awkward around a woman wasn't something that shocked them, but David reminded her of something. "I know we both wanna know more, but this is so new that I doubt Emma would appriciate us poking our noses into it. You know how private she is even when she does tell us most things. She will tell us when she is ready and if there even is something to tell."

"You are right, as always." Mary-Margaret smiled and pressed a kiss to her husbands cheek. They headed into her office to finish off some paperwork so they would get to go home on time, for once.

* * *

Emma was making her way away from the zoo. Instead of taking a bus like people often did, she decided to walk. The zoo wasn't in the middle of the city so there was a bit of a way to walk but she didn't terribly mind. She enjoyed the road ahead of her and the music that was blasting in her headphones. Her step felt light and her head was in the clouds.

She was replaying her conversation with Regina and the slightly flirtatious tone in the other woman's voice. Emma was into women, exclusively but she couldn't say that she was wordly experienced. She had been in few relationships, longest of them lasting for few years. After that she had steered away from them however, having happily busied herself with her remaining studies and later on working full time at the zoo. And that alone left her with very little time to meet anyone.

Regina had said that she hoped they would see each other again and Emma was woman enough to admit that she wanted that as well. But how would they when they knew next to nothing about each other.

Emma felt frustration slowly set in. She wanted to know were they gonna see each other again or was this one of those random encounters with strangers that she would eventually end up forgetting. Although she was quite sure she would never be able to forget Regina. She rolled her eyes so hard at herself. Tone down the gay, jesus Emma.

Her legs were walking her toward her favorite library like they had a mind of their own. She had planned on doing some research on a new study her mom had mentioned few days ago at dinner. Being at work full time left her with very little time to read, so these were the rare moments she was able to do that. She often didn't fancy going home to an empty house so on Tuesdays she often made her way to this library.

Walking in she waved at some of the employees, who she knew by name and they waved back just as happily. Someone once said that no one notices or knows you in big cities, that you are invisible, but Emma would happily tell them they were wrong. She hadn't paid much attention to people when she first started to come here by herself. At the time she had still been unsure of herself, slightly scared of her new parents sending her back so she had walked in quietly, headphones tightly over her ears. She had only come in to study after school but the women working there had got to know her subtly without her noticing. As years went by, Emma grew to be more open and the people had got to know her even better, this time in full interaction with the bubbly girl. Another reason why she enjoyed coming here. It felt safe and for a kid who had seen the horrors of the system, there could never be too many places to feel safe at.

She walked upstairs, hoping that her favorite spot by the window was still free. She was walking fast, liking to pretend that her pace made some difference. And like by some miracle, it was free yet again. She slid into the armchair by one of the massive windows and pulled her laptop from her bag. It didn't take her a long time to find the research and she got settled comfortably to read. She had no idea how much time had passed, before something moved in the corner of her eye that made her turn to check her surroundings.

The second floor of the library was divided into shelf's for children's books in the corner and a massive area for people who came in to read and study. There were tables, armchairs and sockets everywhere, soft lights and massive windows to bring in the natural lights. Plants were scattered around to bring a certain level of homey into the big space. It was a calm space and one of the rare places where people actually knew how to respect other peoples right to concentrate in quiet.

There were some kids walking past with their parents and Emma was sure that was what had caught her attention earlier. She was ready to turn back to her reading before she noticed something past the walking families. Or rather someone. It made her breath stop for a bit and she quickly turned her gaze down, in fear of the other person noticing.

Regina was reading something in one of the tables nearby. She had taken off her hat, revealing her perfectly curled hair without any signs of ever being pressed under a hat. She had folded her scarf next to her hat on the table and her coat was behind her on the back of the chair.

Emma tried not to stare, but she couldn't help but notice a blue silk shirt that fit the woman perfectly. Why did she think that everything about this woman was perfect was beyond her comprehension but she tried so hard to concentrate back on reading.

It was impossible now though. How had they ended up in the same library in the city this massive? Regina had mentioned something about living her childhood in the city, but somehow it seemed to be too big of a coincidence that they were here at the same time. And in the same room and so near each other. 'This is like one of those movies mom likes to watch' Emma thought and that made her smile.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice a voice calling her name or that a person had stopped next to her. What did get her attention however was a hand laid gently on her shoulder. That made Emma wildly whip her head to the side, so fast in fact that she was sure her neck was gonna absolutely murder her tomorrow.

She came face to face with the person she had been deep in thought thinking about. Chocolate brown eyes were staring back at her own and a smirk from earlier the day was yet again spread wide on the pink, plump lips.

"Didn't mean to startle you yet again... Emma." it seemed like Regina was taking her sweet ass time rolling Emma's name in her mouth before settling on the most attractive way of letting it out. Emma could feel how a rainbow shot out of her head and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself for what felt like the millionth time that day. She had never been one to have long overdrawn crushes or to spend too much time thinking about attractive people, but she had to admit Regina was an exception.

"You... you didn't startle me." it took Emma a second to gather her thoughts which made her curse herself in her mind.

That made the other woman laugh. She was clearly mindful of her volume though, as this was a library none the less. "Oh I'm sure I didn't. I'm just surprised you didn't snap your neck." the grin was back as she was looking down on Emma who was still sitting in the armchair.

Emma shot her a dirty look but that didn't waver Regina's grin one bit. What the woman did though was lay her clothes on the arm of one of the chairs and lower herself gracefully down. They were now sitting facing each other. Neither of them said anything for a while, both trying to find somewhere to set their eyes. It was slowly getting awkward again and Emma couldn't have that. Before she had any time to think through her words more she blurted out.

"Why are you here?"

That made Regina look up at her once more and give her a puzzled look. She lifted up a book as if to enforce her words. "Reading."

Emma realised how stupid she must have sounded and she tried again. "I know but why here?"

"This is a library is it not?" Regina was more and more confused, and the tiny head tilt she did made her look slightly like a black Labrador retriever. Emma could have facepalmed right then and there. Why couldn't she seem to form a simple sentence around this woman. She took a deep breath and took a second to form her sentence more carefully.

"I meant, why this library from all the libraries in the city? This isn't the most know library by any means, not even the seventh most known. How did you find it? Was this somewhere where you came as a child?" Emma had accepted that this question had no way to come out elegantly, so after she got it out she settled down, hoping Regina had understood her inquiry.

Regina smiled. There was something really endearing in the way that Emma rambled on, even when Regina normally couldn't deal with any sort of rambling and mumbling. But what really stopped her was Emma's reference to her childhood. She really appreciated the fact that Emma had listened her closely enough to her the small mention of her childhood spend in the city.

"Yes, this is a place of my childhood. This was something me and my father shared. He used to bring me here every weekend to read the books that were at the children's section. They still have a wonderful collection of children's books, from what I saw when I arrived." that made her smile fondly and look at the direction of the children's section that was in the corner of the massive room. "I enjoy it here, it's so peaceful and quiet. The views out of the windows are beautiful, the staff is always helpful and sweet. It's like a safe haven in the middle of the busy city. Today, it was conveniently on my way when I returned from the zoo. And since I wasn't really feeling the cleaning that was waiting for me at home, I stopped by." Regina smiled again, this time directly at Emma.

That made Emma smile as well. It seemed like this place had a special place in Regina's heart as well as it did on her own. That settled her mind, but she couldn't help but to be amazed how they met for the second time in the same day. She was thankful for it though.

"Fair enough." Emma said and leaned casually back on her armchair to get comfortable again. Regina notted gradually and opened her book again, her brown eyes moving slowly, carefully scanning the page in front of her. The blonde pulled her computer back on her lap again, finally feeling calm enough to finish reading the research.

For the next few hours neither of them said anything. Emma chanced a few secret looks towards the other woman only to find her fully focused in her book, side of her lip pulled tightly between her teeth in concentration. That made Emma smile warmly before turning back to her own reading again. What she didn't notice though were the just as secret looks the brunette woman was shooting from over the top of her book.

Emma's blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail like it had been at the zoo this morning, but Regina noted with delight that there were some curls escaping, forming a gentle frame for the pale face of the blonde. That made Regina shake her head slightly and look back down to her book. They had only just met, it was silly of her to think like this so soon. And how did she even know Emma was into girls. That made her look at Emma again, this time more intently and she could physically feel how her gaydar binged. Okay, it was likely Emma was into girls but jesus christ, they had only met yesterday. She needed to calm down.

That didn't make her subtly stare at Emma any less. There was something about this girl that intrigued her. Their dynamic was delicious and Emma was so awkward and so bold at the same time, that it was just plain adorable. And they had only met few days ago... And had total of two full conversations. Regina rolled her eyes. She sounded like a school girl with a crush. She had heard of movies that started like this, with two people constantly bumping into each other, she just never thought that would happening to her.

"Regina? Regina?" Emma was whispering, trying to get the other woman's attention. It was getting late and she had promised to be home for dinner. She had finished reading ages ago, but she didn't want to leave, so she had been surfing online for the better part of an hour but now she really had to go. The brunette seemed to be deep in her thought though, looking at the pages but her eyes weren't moving.

"Regina!" Emma said a bit louder, rousing the other woman from her musings. Brown eyes found green in an instant and Emma could feel herself becoming breathless. Regina didn't have to ask the question out loud, but only with the lift of her perfect eyebrow she wanted to know what was wrong.

"I have to go. I promised my parents I would be home for dinner." Emma sounded apologetic, putting her laptop into her bag before shrugging on her jacket and scarf. Regina quickly stood up, dropping her book into the armchair. She hadn't realised how late it had gotten and of course they had to leave at some point...

"Of course." she said and smiled lightly. "It was nice to see you again, Emma."

Emma couldn't get enough of the way Regina was saying her name. No one used another persons name as much as Regina did and it made her feel special. "It was nice to see you too. Maybe... Maybe we will see again?" Emma asked hopefully, proud of herself for managing to not make a complete fool of herself.

"I could come by the zoo tomorrow?" Regina suggested shyly. She was never this forward, what was going on? But the brilliant smile on Emma's face made it totally worth it.

"I'd really like that." Emma said before moving past the other woman with the slowest pace ever. Their eyes locked for a few moments, before Emma gave an awkward wave and disappeared behind the shelves.

Regina sat down, less gracefully than the last time and leaned back on the armchair. She covered her face with her hands but under them she was smiling so big. This was so unlike her, she usually didn't much care for people, but there was something... safe about Emma. She wanted to see her again, the blonde had pretty much occupied her mind since she had seen her yesterday at the zoo. Her mind was swirling out of control and she had no idea what was about to happen, but one thing she knew for sure.

It was time to go to see the lions again tomorrow.

* * *

/ hello, i hope you are enjoying the story so far! i'm trying to post a chapter a week since i have this all written up and ready to go! so yeap, chapter 4 will be up next week! thank you for reading, byeee!


	4. Chapter 4

Emma rushed into the locker room, nearly falling down in her haste to make it to her locker. She was late. This was probably first for the books, since Emma Nolan was never late. It wasn't like it was a big deal, she was only late for half an hour and her parents ran the zoo, but it was somewhat a pride thing for the blonde. Ever since she was a child, she showed utmost care when it came to being in a right place, at the right time.

Rushing through her routine of getting ready, her mind was still fully occupied with the reason why she was late in the first place. She had been unable to sleep during the night as her mind was way too busy thinking about Regina, and reading together with her in the library. Her mind hadn't even tried to run with that, but it had only replayed that over and over again. All their conversations and how Regina looked at her and how she said her name.

Emma didn't even notice how her movements were getting slower until she had completely stopped, her overalls only halfway buttoned. What roused her from her thoughts was the locker room door slamming shut and her best friend leaning on the wall next to the mirror with a wolfish smile spread on her face.

They stared each other down, waiting to see who would crack first. It wasn't a surprise for either of them that Ruby was the one who opened her mouth first. "So, I see you're late huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes and resumed getting dressed. When she was able to think about something else other than Regina she was doing really fine with getting dressed and she mentally patted herself on the back. But there was answering to Ruby's question and she really wasn't looking forward to the conversation that was about to follow.

"Yeah, I was."

But Ruby said nothing. She just looked at her, no smirk, no nothing. It seemed like she was searching for something, but Emma was unsure did she find it or not, but a follow up question did come out, but this time with a lot more concern laced into it. "Are you doing okay?"

Emma sighed. Of course her best friend would know something was going on. She wasn't sure did she want to say anything to her yet as she knew Ruby was going to get super excited and it was in her nature not to let it go. This was something that Emma wanted to explore alone for the time being.

"I'm fine Ruby, I promise. I just had trouble sleeping last night which led me to being too tired to care much about my alarms this morning." Emma said and shot a small smile towards her friend who seemed to be fine with the explanation, for now.

They left the locker room together, catching up since they hadn't seen each other properly for few days. They were making their way towards Emma's place of business as her lions were on the road before the wolves were. They made it all the way to the maintenance door before Ruby asked the question she had waited to ask since this morning.

"Are you still coming on Friday?"

Emma let out an audible puff of air that came out as a steamy cloud in the chilly morning air. The last days of summer were upon them and there had already been few definitely more colder mornings. It was still too early to break out the winter gear but fall clothes were becoming more and more common. Thinking back to her promise to Ruby made her feel guilty. She had been ready to stand Ruby up once again, but she wasn't gonna do it this time. So she was gonna go and have some fun. "Yes, I'm still going. I still have to ask my parents if it's okay for me to leave earlier."

Ruby looked suddenly sheepish and blush rose to her cheeks. It was a tell tale sign that the wolf-girl had done something that she definitely shouldn't have. Emma was almost afraid to ask what it was but she knew she had to. And with the bravery befitting for a knight, she asked.

"What did you do?"

"Well I might have..." Ruby trailed off, looking for a way out but it was not being provided so she let out her secret. "I might have asked your parents for you."

Emma couldn't really be angry at Ruby. To be honest she would have put it off for the last possible moment and this way she didn't have to go on an awkward ramble about her plans. Although she was slightly worried what Ruby might have said...

"Sooo, what did they say?" Emma knew the answer before her best friend said anything, since a hug smile spread on her face.

"THEY SAID YES!" Ruby clapped her hands and jumped up and down a little bit. Emma couldn't help but to join in her enthusiasm as it was really contagious.

"So what time do you want me to be ready and where do you want to meet?" Emma wanted to get all the details down as early as possible. She wanted to be well prepared for her first night out in ages as she was getting a little bit nervous. Also it was important for her to be there at the right time. Yeah thought the girl who was late today, Emma rolled her eyes.

"We are all gonna meet at Roni's at 7 pm. I don't know do you know Roni's but its pretty chill and casual. They are supposed to have live music there on Friday though and the owner told us that it will be fairly packet. So be prepared for that." Ruby knew her friend well and she was singlehandedly giving her all the information from the location to dress code. She knew this was the first time Emma was going out in ages and she wanted it to be a positive experience.

"Okay, I will meet you at Roni's just before 7 pm." Emma promised, smiling slightly.

Soon after that Ruby got a call to join her partner into the wolf cave to check on one of the older wolves. That meant Emma got to enter her own little heaven. Giving her signature whistle, so got to meet everyone like she did every morning. She let her cats out before sitting down to meet Bianca properly.

The little lion cub was getting bigger and bigger by the day and Emma could have strangled the time. It was so special when lions were cubs, but it only lasted for such a little time. There was something so pure and free and so utterly curious about then and how they saw the world. Emma could relate to that on some personal level since ever since she was granted a home like she had with Nolan's, that's how she had felt too. As a young girl, it had felt utterly impossible to be like that. But with time and care and love, that's what she felt like she had become. She felt like she was a lion cub.

Pure and free and curious.

Emma knew she was getting really deep and that often wasn't the case, but she couldn't help herself. She felt... content and happy. Partly it was because she was sitting down in her favorite place, staring at her lions, having achieved her goals in becoming their carer. But mostly it was because of Regina. Last night Emma had admitted to herself that she might have a teeny tiny crush on the brunette woman.

She knew how insane that was considering they had only met a couple of times and knew next to nothing about each other. Emma couldn't really stop herself but she wasn't going to build her hopes up because as said, she knew nothing about the other woman. Regina could be straight and married, and have a kid for all she knew. It seemed rather unlikely and Emma felt like Regina might fall somewhere in the spectrum of gay but she didn't want to assume. She hated when people assumed things about her and she refused to be the one to do that to others.

Emma couldn't wait to see her today. Regina felt like a person who would keep her promises and Emma truly believed that at some point today the brunette would show up. But at that time her day really kicked itself into a high gear. Before she noticed it was lunchtime and she hadn't even sat down once after arriving to work. She tried to subtly escape the office building but then her mother needed something and Emma was sucked back into work.

It was late afternoon when she made it back to her lions. She had only came back for the daily feeding bit for the audience but she had been called off the second she was done. And during that time she hand't seen Regina. Emma was dragging her feet slightly, holding loosely onto a water bottle. Taking a quick look around and detecting that there was no one there, she leaned on a familiar railing outside her lions and pressed her head against the cool glass of the enclosure. As always it was like her lions knew who was there as they all huddled around her and tried to push against the glass to get to her.

Warm smile spread on her face as she pressed her hand against the glass and pretended to pet them. She was really tired and wanted to go home to sleep til the next morning. There was only an hour left of her day and she planned spending the rest of it with her lions.

"They are really beautiful."

Any other time Emma would have snapped up and swirled around, but certain calmness had laid on her and she just lazily turned her head towards the speaker, without lifting it up from the glass. An amused looking Regina was leaning her hip against the railing, her arms crossed over her chest.

"They really are." Emma said, 'and so are you' dying on her lips as it seemed a bit too forward.

Regina's eyes searched for something for a while, before she cocked her head slightly. "A rough day, dear?" she asked sweetly, taking in Emma's exhausted form and the fact that she was yet to lift her head from the glass. One of the lions was sitting just cents away behind the glass her eyes confused on Emma. Emma glanced at the lion, shrugged and lifted herself upright. At the same time the lion stood as well and took off to find it's friends who had already spread back out into the enclosure.

Now Regina's eyes were no longer fixated on Emma but they followed the lion closely. Emma took her time answering as she wanted Regina to see as much as possible of the lions before they laid down again. When the brown eyes turned her way again, it was clear to see how brightly they were shining.

"It was a busy day for sure and I cannot wait to go home and sleep." Emma said but smiled warmly because no matter how tired she was, she loved every second of her work. It was that special to her.

Regina notted understandingly. She was no stranger to being busy but for the first time in her life she wasn't. "I tried looking for you earlier." Regina switched the leg she was putting her weight on. "But if you had a busy day, it makes sense that I couldn't find you."

Emma could feel her face break into a wide smile and her cheeks flush. Regina had been looking for her and waited around just to see her. It made her feel... special. It felt really really nice.

"So how was your day?" Emma asked, cocking her head to the side, observing the woman in front of her. She felt like every time they talked it got less and less awkward and it was like they knew each other somehow.

Regina huffed a little bit. "I got more settled into my new place, opened some more boxes and cleaned up. I had coffee in my favorite coffee house and after lunch I came here." she finished off with a smile.

Emma was floored. Regina had been in the zoo since lunch? That was several hours worth and the blonde felt suddenly guilty of being so busy. She knew she couldn't help it and this was her job, but she didn't want to keep Regina waiting either.

Her emotions must have been easy to read on her face because Regina rushed to reassure her. "Emma, no it's okay! I know you were busy and I really enjoyed walking around here. I saw every animal that you have here and I had some coffee by your lions earlier. I didn't mind waiting, because..." she trailed off but the look she was receiving from the blonde made her continue. "... because I wanted to see you."

Emma's cheeks had started to hurt a little with the amount of smiling she had been doing during their ten minute talk. But she couldn't help herself. She was quite sure she was suddenly living in a movie or a book, because these things literally never happened to her. The fact that they actually were made her want to pinch herself to make sure she was wide awake.

"You did?" she had to confirm because it was just a little bit too good.

A blush was covering both of Regina's cheeks but she bravely confirmed what she had just said, because the reaction she was getting from Emma made her suddenly feel brave. She didn't think she was making a fool of herself since the gorgeous blonde in front of her seemed to be experiencing at least some of the same things she was.

"Well, I waited for the entire day to see you too." Emma said quietly, half wishing Regina couldn't hear her but if her bright smile was anything to go by, she had heard and Emma's heart felt suddenly full with the fact that she was the cause of that smile.

They were quiet for a while, just staring at each other with no awkwardness between them. Emma suddenly had a thought and she felt excited to share that with Regina. "My shift ends in less than an hour. Do you maybe... wanna have some coffee after that?"

Regina definitely wanted to and she felt so special that Emma had asked her. She doubted this was a date yet, but maybe it was the first step Regina so wished for.

"I would love to." she smiled and at the same second she received an even brighter smile from the blonde standing in front of her.

"Great! Let me go see that everything is okay with the lions, and I will meet you at the gate?" she was nearly bouncing as she wanted to make sure everything was set for her to leave. She also wanted to radio her dad to tell her to take extra good care of her babies tonight since she was away.

"I can't wait." Regina said and quickly sauntered past the other woman to the direction of the gates. Emma looked after her and half lifted her hand to an awkward wave that Regina of course couldn't see, before sprinting to the maintenance door. She knew she had done all the paperwork required of her but she wanted to sit down with her lions for a bit.

She did want to go and get coffee with Regina but her lions were her heart. They hadn't really seen each other all day and Emma missed cuddling Bianca. So she settled on the floor next to the cage and just like that the lions gathered around her. She pressed her hands against the bars and the lions took turns to press their heads against it.

This was magic that only happened when Emma was alone with these animals. She had never taught them anything as that was not what they were doing but they knew her and she knew them. Which is why she closed her eyes for a bit and then whispered into the quiet.

"I'm going to take this really beautiful woman for a coffee today."

She was only met with silence which did not surprise her. She had been talking to her animals ever since she was a child and animals only talked back in animations, not real life. The silence was actually often more appreciated than an answer would be. It gave her time to think, clear her head without anyone inserting their opinions into her mind.

"I really like her. She is so beautiful... and I really enjoy talking to her." Emma whispered again, looking at Bianca who had snuggled against the cages. She was slightly tracing her fingers against the soft baby fur, deep in thought.

"I should be terrified and maybe somewhere deep down I am, but I cannot really feel it right now. Which is weird you know?" she knew she was rambling a bit but no one ever told her to shut up and the lions would leave if they lost their 'interest' so she continued on.

"I feel like I can trust her and with my track record that is actually saying a lot..."

Emma was unsure how to continue her trail of thoughts but it seemed like she didn't have to as her walkie talkie rattled to life on her hip. And who else was it than her father.

"Emma, are you still there?"

Picking it up and pressing down a button, Emma swiftly answered while getting up from the floor. "Yeah dad."

"Oh you should be gone already! I only called to see do I have to come and kick you out of here myself." her father didn't sound displeased, more playful like he always did. Emma couldn't remember a time when her dad would have actually been angry or annoyed at anyone. And never at her.

"No dad, I'm almost on my way. Dad, can you please come and check everyone here before you leave? I want to be sure everything's okay." Emma requested and blew kisses towards the lions as she left the building.

"Of course sweetheart, I will see that the baby is okay as well. Are you still doing the evening feedings with her?" David asked and Emma gave her a crash course on Bianca's schedule. It wasn't like David didn't know it but Emma felt more comfortable if they went through it once more, just in case.

"Well, in that case I'm gonna get going." Emma said hurrying towards the locker rooms. She wanted to do a quick wash before meeting with Regina since she had been running around all day and how was she supposed to impress the other woman if she was all sweaty.

"What do you have in plans?" David asked like he always did and in that second Emma realised that she didn't know what to say. She did want to tell her parents but she wasn't sure was there anything to tell. Everything was still so new and she wasn't even sure was there anything to develop. This was the first time they would have a planned meeting that didn't happen in the zoo.

Emma knew she had to tell her dad something and rather than lying she told part of the truth. "I'm going to this coffee house for a bit and then probably head home. Will you and mom be back for late dinner?" she hoped that changing the subject would serve her and it did.

"We will be back around 7 so be back for dinner at 8." David said and Emma could hear someone talking to David about something in the other end of the line. Before Emma could ask David spoke quickly. "Sweetheart I have to go, Damien needs my help. I will see you later. I love you!"

"I love you too." Emma said and dropped her walkie talkie on top of the overalls she had already shed from her being. She rushed towards the showers and made quick work washing herself. Feeling so much better and dressing in record speed, Emma stepped in front of the mirror to brush through her wild blonde mane. Stopping for a moment she looked at her own reflection. She was excited. Nervous granted, but more excited than anything. She was unsure what was gonna happen or even if anything was going to but that didn't really change a thing for her. This was still so special.

In no time she was ready and flung her backpack onto her back. She speed walked to the gates, her eyes scanning the area for the gorgeous brunette. After a while, her brows started to furrow as she couldn't find Regina anywhere. She walked around the gate area a bit, both inside and outside the gate just in case Regina would have decide to wait in less crowded area. None the less, she was nowhere to be found and Emma was slowly losing hope. She dug out her phone from her pocket and was about to select Regina when she realised they never exchanged numbers.

Emma could feel how her eyes started to burn as she swallowed back tears. She backed behind some of the bushes just outside the gates, where she knew she could be alone. Trying to see the many sides of the situation was getting harder and harder. The gate was big and there were many people, but she had been looking for a long time and she had checked every single place she could think of.

Familiar despair was getting its hold of her and it was clouding her clear thinking completely. How had she been so stupid? Of course none of this meant anything to Regina, no. Emma was probably just another stranger to her that had happened to ask her out for coffee. She was so gorgeous that she probably got that a lot. And on top of it all, Emma had given her a clear out by asking her to wait at the gate. Oh how she had probably laughed at her childish hopefulness. And the fact that they hadn't even shared their numbers with each other...

Starting to walk away the young blonde tried her hardest not to cry. She was not worth it. This had been just a stupid crush that she could now work through. Her old feelings of not being wanted were resurfacing with every step she took but with every step she tried her hardest to push them back down. There was no way this one woman would start to eat out her development and years of hard work. Regina meant nothing... Except that it seemed like she actually did more than Emma had even realised.

It didn't take Emma long to make it home where she curled into a ball on her bed. She tried to keep her mind off Regina but it was impossible. At least she didn't have to no longer worry about her and how she was gonna act and what was she gonna say. It all had solved itself for her, just not in the way she wished.

She had no idea when she had fallen asleep, neither did she know that her parents had come in to check up on her. What she was also unaware of were the concerned glances her parents were shooting each other when they realised the dried up tear tracks that were marring their daughters face as she slept what seemed like peaceful dream.

But it was anything but peaceful. It was more like a nightmare.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Emma woke to someone tapping her shoulder. She blinked furiously as she was more used to being awoken by an alarm clock than another person, but upon closer inspection she found her mother sitting by her bed holding up a plate of pancakes. Mary-Margaret had this weird look on her face and Emma couldn't really understand why that was, but she gladly didn't have to think about that just yet as her mother opened her mouth in greeting.

"I made you some breakfast." Mary-Margaret said gently and placed a tray next to her daughter on the bed. She knew how much Emma loved pancakes so she had made a big pile paired with her favorite drink; hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

"Thank you." Emma said just as quietly as she sat up a bit to be able to eat. She wasn't going to lie, she was really hungry, having not eaten properly the day before. Not to mention that her moms pancakes were the best in the whole wide world.

She could feel her mother looking at her but she didn't want to look up. Emma was quite sure her parents knew she was upset, even when they had not seen her properly since yesterday afternoon. She wanted nothing more than to tell her mother but she couldn't really shake the feeling of possibly sounding foolish. The whole thing with Regina had affected her more than she ever thought it was gonna. And the fact that they were nothing more than strangers made Emma feel stupid - it felt like she had no right to be upset over someone she didn't even really know.

Something had to be said however since there was no way her mother would ever let it go otherwise. Mary-Margaret had always been very concerned and with Emma's childhood and the time spend in foster care, it had been wise. And even after all these years she was still worried but Emma couldn't help but to love her for it.

"Emma, are you okay?" Mary-Margaret quickly beat Emma to it, her brows slightly furrowed and clear concern shining from her eyes.

Chewing slowly, trying to give herself some extra time to think, Emma looked down at her plate. When she had mushed down the last bite of pancake, she settled down her fork and looked at her mother. "Well, I think so?" she started but seeing how her mother opened her mouth to protest, she hastily continued "But I wasn't yesterday."

That made her mother quiet and patiently wait for Emma to open up, which she eventually did. "I kinda met this... woman. It was always really casual, not to mention we have only known for a few days and nothing ever happened, but I..." Emma trailed of for her own sake, trying to gather her thoughts and feelings. "... but I wished something might have come out of it. For some reason I really really liked her and I was always excited to see her."

"What happened?" Mary-Margaret managed to keep herself neutral which was quite a feat to the naturally over curious woman.

"We were meant to go and have coffee after my shift yesterday. She said she had been waiting around all day just to see me. I felt super good and optimistic... And I shouldn't have." Emma was once again getting annoyed with herself as she just had to go and trust this person. "Because we planned to meet at the gate but when I made it there I couldn't find her anywhere."

"It is a massive gate honey, maybe you just missed each other?" Mary-Margaret tried to think of other way to look at this and make her daughter feel better.

"I looked for over half an hour and then I realised she never even gave me her number... I think she just bailed on me. I don't know what she would have gained from just randomly talking to me and then ditching me, but it just really hurt you know? Like there must be something wrong with me if she doesn't want to stay, right?" Emma knew she was rambling but once the damn was open there was no closing them down.

In one swift move Mary-Margaret moved to sit next to her daughter. She took a hold of her cheeks gently, making sure she had Emma's undivided attention. She needed Emma to hear what she had to say and understand.

"You, Emma Nolan, are enough. So unbelievably enough. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, my darling girl. I know it hurts right now, especially since you seemed to really like this woman, but I want you to never, ever doubt your own worth because of how someone else acted. What happened is on them."

Emma could feel tears well up in her eyes. They had had this talk numerous times in her youth and every time she ended up crying in her mothers arms, and it seemed this was gonna be the case this time as well. She let her face lean heavily onto her mothers palms.

"Your father and I love you the most in the entire world, Emma." Mary-Margaret was smiling gently, battling through her own emotions. "You are the most important person in our lives. No matter what happens. And we were concerned yesterday." she moved her thumbs gently over Emma's cheeks in calming fashion. "Your father told me he had seen you with some woman. And he mentioned how happy you looked and I remember seeing you in a brilliant mood on that same day. I don't know what happened to make her leave, but consider this please."

She straightened her posture which made Emma do the same and she was once again fully concentrating on her mother. In a way she didn't want to listen, since it seemed her mother was about to go on one of her 'there is good in everyone' speech. She wanted to stay angry at Regina for making her feel like this, but the bigger part of her wanted to hold onto the hope her mother was so generously offering. So she stayed silent and listened.

"You told me you don't really know this woman, which means there could have been a perfectly legitimate reason for her to leave. And if you hadn't exchanged numbers yet, it was of course impossible for her to call you and let you know. This is just a theory, but consider that. Since it seemed there was no reason for her to play you like that just to disappear, because if that's how she cons people, she isn't doing a really good job at it." Mary-Margaret was sharing her theory which seemed completely legit in Emma's mind.

"Well, she definitely made me feel conned, so that's something." Emma had to mutter but she had to admit she was feeling better. That made Mary-Margaret smile, since there was a definite playful undertone in her daughters voice once more.

Just then did Emma look at the clock on her nightstand and her eyes grew wide as she realised it was nearing 9 am. She was never in bed that late during the week and she looked wildly at her mother. She seemed oddly calm, slowly sipping Emma's leftover hot chocolate.

"Ummm, mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Mary-Margaret raised her eyes to meet her daughters. She knew exactly what Emma was gonna ask her and she had waited for her daughter to realize the time. Now it seemed she finally had.

"We are late for work!" Emma's voice was high piched and she started to quickly make her way out of the bed. A hand on her shoulder stopped her and what greeted her was her mother laughing and nearly falling over. Emma reached quickly to save the cup still holding some chocolate in it, and gently placed it on her bedside table.

"Mom?" Emma was feeling more and more confused by the second, this was definitely not a normal morning.

"Oh my, Emma, you should have seen your face." Mary-Margaret was still giggling and Emma opened her mouth to protest but her mother beat her to it, more calm now. "Your father and I agreed that it would be better to let you sleep in this morning. We wanted to make sure you were okay, which is why David went to open this morning and I stayed with you."

"But my lions-" Emma knew this was always her first concern and she also knew that the entire zoo was filled with capable workers who knew how to take care of her lions in her absence. She just rather did it all herself.

"- are in good hands, your father promised to see to them himself because he knew you rather do it yourself and he is your next option." Mary-Margaret smiled warmly and pulled Emma back to sit next to her. "They will be fine and we can take the day off to just relax."

"You don't have to go in?" Emma could remember her mother taking time off work when she was younger but as soon as Emma started working there all three of them were always in, never really taking any days off.

"I own that zoo, I can do whatever I want." Mary-Margaret grinned and got up. "Now, go and shower and change into something comfy. I will pile up some blankets downstairs and make some more hot chocolate. We are gonna marathon some tv shows." she ordered and made her way out of the room.

Emma couldn't stop smiling. She wasn't big on taking days off but having a day off with her mother just to relax and do nothing? It definitely sounded like her kind of day. Fast walking into the shower, she threw the yesterdays clothes into the hamper and made as quick work as possible in washing her long blonde hair. She was downstairs in no time, dressed in her zoo hoodie and sweats as she fell down to sit next to her mom.

She was definitely down for this.

* * *

It was after 2 pm and they had just finished lunch when Mary-Margaret noticed her daughter constantly checking the time. She was positive she knew what was going through Emma's mind and it made her smile. Emma had the same qualities as the both of her parents when it came to something she loved. And Emma loved the zoo and her lions more than anything and her heart was pulling her there, even on the day that she was not required to be in.

"You can go you know?" Mary-Margaret said and Emma's head snapped up. A slight blush was rising to her neck and she looked sheepishly down a second later.

"What are you talking about?" Emma knew her mother knew what she wanted, but she just had to play on the charade a little bit longer.

"I know you want to go to work. And I'm not gonna stop you because how could I. I was and still am the same on that aspect." Mary-Margaret got up to clean the dishes and she was just about to start to wash them when she felt someone crash on her back and wrap their arms around her in a hug.

"I love you, mom." Emma whispered, smushing her face against her mothers back.

"I love you too, Emma. My keys are in the bowl next to the door." Mary-Margaret said and she could feel the weight lift and steps bound upstairs, her daughter getting changed no doubt. In less than 10 minutes, there was a cheerful bye as the door slammed shut right after that.

* * *

It didn't take long for Emma to make it to the zoo and thanks to the staff park behind the buildings, she had her mothers car set in no time. She was in fantastic mood. This morning with her mother had really lifter her spirits and she was really grateful for her parents, once again thanking the higher powers for bringing them into her life.

After a quick change to her work gear she lifted up the radio to her mouth and radioed her dad. "Dad? Are you there?"

It only took a while for the walkie to wake up back to live and a familiar voice answering, this time laced with slight confusion. "Emma? What are you doing here?"

"I had a lovely morning with mom, but I just had to come in even for a bit." Emma said and laughed as her dad sighed.

"Well, I owe your mother 10$." he mumbled and Emma laughed even louder. The fact that her parents had made a bet on could she stay away was just completely hilarious to her.

"Have you been by at my babies?" Emma asked, making her way towards her little cave either way. The weather was super beautiful, the late summer sun was warming up her face and she felt like bouncing.

"I was there to open the first thing in the morning and I handled the 11 am feeding. There were this massive school group to see that, and I talked to this lovely older couple." David knew Emma wanted to know what kinda people came to see her lions as well. He was the proudest father in the world as he had seen how his daughter was growing into this amazing, dedicated, passionate woman who worked hard to reach her goals.

"That's wonderful." Emma was at her maintenance door and she stepped in. "I just made it here, I will phone you in a while dad." she didn't bother to wait for a response as she sat on her favorite spot next to the bars and waited. And in no time, she was doing her greeting and scratching Bianca behind her ears. She felt so content to be here and she knew this was where she was meant to be. Together with her animals.

She spend a good hour just watching them and then proceeded to check that all the things required were okay and up to date. It seemed like her dad really knew how she liked things handled around her animals and she was grateful for that.

Emma decided to go out again to actually see her dad. She wanted to thank him, for letting them stay home even when she had made her way back before the day was over. The pause was something she had terribly needed.

Making her way to the left of her lions she failed to notice a person sitting on a bench in front of the enclosure. But the other person noticed her and hastily got up to run after her.

"Emma!"

Emma stopped on her tracks and stared right ahead. Of course she knew whose voice that was. She closed her eyes briefly and took a calming breath, before turning around to look at the other woman. The brown eyes that had been so bright yesterday when they had talked looked nearly desperate and oddly glassy. Emma was unsure what was going on, but she didn't feel particularly kind.

"What do you want?"

Regina was slightly taken aback by the tone but didn't look too surprised. She was breathing heavily as she had needed to run after the blonde for a bit. "Emma. I need to talk to you."

"No." Emma said and turned around to walk away. Of course she wanted to talk to Regina but the hurt she had felt yesterday was rearing its head in her heart again and she couldn't, wouldn't hear what Regina had to say. She cared about the woman already too much and she wasn't about to be toyed with, not again, not ever again.

"Emma, please!" Regina's voice was desperate as she ran to catch up again and rounded in front the the blonde, efficiently cutting her way and making her stop. Emma took a calming breath and steeled herself. What she didn't really count on was the small flame of hope, pushing its way to hug her bruised heart.

"What, Regina, what do you want?" Emma asked, but not unkindly like she had maybe originally intended.

"Please. Just listen to me." she was looking at Emma pleadingly, waiting for her permission to speak. Emma notted quietly and Regina looked relieved before opening her mouth. "I'm so sorry for disappearing on you yesterday. I didn't mean to and I definitely didn't want to. I was waiting for you at the gate like we planned but then my sister called me. There was something wrong at work and they needed my assistance, even when I made it perfectly clear for them that I was not be disturbed at my off time-." she was rambling hard core, but she couldn't stop.

Emma's face was softening as it seemed like Regina had been looking forward to their coffee time just as much as she was and she had been just as distraught about how it had ended. The blonde returned to planet earth just in time to catch the rest of the brunettes ramble.

"- and I didn't even give you my number because I planned to do that during coffee but then it all got ruined." she was getting visibly upset and Emma took a hold of her shoulders gently. That made the brunette quiet down and look curiously up at the green eyes in front of her.

"It's okay, calm down." Emma said gently, her own annoyance now completely gone, fully replaced with warmth. She started to take deep breaths and signaled Regina to breathe with her which the brunette soon did with no problems.

They breathed together for a good while, before Regina seemed to have calmed down. "Are you feeling better?" Emma was looking at her closely, still slightly concerned since the other woman had really worked herself up. Regina notted quietly, suddenly shy and unable to meet her eyes.

"Are you angry at me?" Regina whispered after a while.

Emma was very aware she was still holding onto Regina's shoulders but she didn't want to let go and she wanted to reassure the other woman because she was about to tell the truth. And truth wasn't always pretty.

"Yes." that made Regina's head snap towards her and her eyes widened. She was taking a step back but Emma matched it and hurried to continue. "But I'm not anymore. I was hurt that you disappeared because I didn't know where you went. I thought..." now was Emma's turn to be unsure of what to say. "... I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me."

Regina was shaking her head furiously before she found her voice again. "No, Emma, that was not it! I was really looking forward to going to coffee with you, I was so happy you asked me to go with you. If it hadn't been for work-"

Emma hurried to stop her. "I understand now. It just hit an old and apparently still a raw spot, that's all. It was a misunderstanding, but yeah, I was really upset because I was really looking forward to it. To seeing you outside of the zoo." she was suddenly blushing but under that she still felt brave. Because Regina had been looking forward to it as well. She had been happy Emma asked her. This meant something to her as well. And Emma believed her.

Regina was quiet again, feeling her skin tingle under the palms that were still holding onto her shoulders. She felt simultaneously happy and sad. It had not been her intention to upset Emma in any way, but her actions had caused harm that was for certain. But she was also happy because Emma had been looking forward to their coffee as much as she had and that was huge for her.

"Could we maybe try again?" Regina asked hopefully.

Emma smiled. "I'd like that."

Regina send the most beautiful smile her way before offering her hand with her palm held up. Emma looked at her confusedly before Regina clarified. "Your phone if you'd please."

Emma let go of Regina for the first time in order the dig up her phone from the back pocket of her overalls. She opened her screenlock before handing it to Regina. The brunette made quick work on adding her number and writing down her name. When she handed the phone back to Emma, the blonde looked at it curiously.

Regina had added herself to her contact list, written her name and added emojies behind her name. A coffee cup and a lion. Emma's heart made a back flip. Regina was handing out her own phone which the blonde took and typed in her own number. With her name she paused for a while. She didn't want to be too forward but in the last second she threw all caution to the wind. What was the worse that could happen since they had already had drama before they even made it to their first coffee date?

"I'm not officially working today, so would you like to go and get some coffee to go and have a walk in the park? It would be criminal not to be outside on a day as beautiful as this." Emma asked. The sun was still shining warmly and there was a gentle breeze moving the trees around a little bit.

"That sounds wonderful." Regina smiled.

"I will go and see the lions once more before I go and change. Where do you want to meet?" Emma asked, still toying with Regina's phone.

"Lets try the gate again. At least now I know how to reach you." Regina winked, her earlier awkwardness and desperation gone. It had brought back something that Emma had gotten a taste before. A flirtation.

"That you do." Emma grinned and handed Regina the phone. She brushed her fingers slightly against Regina's arm before she walked back towards the lion cave, leaving the brunette woman holding her breath.

Regina looked down at the phone she had just been handed and the name Emma had used to add herself into her contacts.

Emma. Lion. Heart.


	6. Chapter 6

This time when Emma was ready, she reached for her phone right away to save herself from the looking part. The phone rang for a couple of times, before Regina answered. "Emma?"

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you?" Emma asked as she hoisted her backpack on her shoulder more tightly as she made her way towards the gates.

"I'm by the tiger statue on the right side when you exit the zoo." Regina's directions were definitely on point, like she would have given that kind of directions before. It also definitely helped that Emma knew every single inch of the zoo grounds like the back of her hands.

Emma had let her dad know that there had been a slight change of plans for her return day and David had taken that on wonderfully. Emma often wondered was her dad even real, because there had never been a single problem with him. She had promised to explain everything after she returned home, but she felt like she had to send a text message to her mother informing her of the change of plans.

 _Mom, I'm having coffee with Regina. For real this time._

The answer had been instant.

 _What happened?!_

Emma rolled her eyes a bit, but still smiling really wide because everyone should have a mother like Mary-Margaret to have their back.

 _There had been a misunderstanding. You were right. Something had come up. She was really sorry and so upset and I believe her. She said she was sorry._

Emma was unsure why she felt the need to validate her decision to forgive Regina but she knew her mother in her protectiveness was not so easily swayed.

 _Just be careful, but I'm so happy for you sweetheart. Let me know when you are coming home. Should I come by to pick up the car?_

Emma had told her that she would be going by to get the car no matter how late it would get since her mom definitely deserved the day off she was currently having. Coming to the zoo grounds on her free day had been Emma's choice but she didn't wanna make her mother do that as well.

After the quick text exchange she made her way out of the gates, waving to the ticket attendees as she went. And today just like she had promised, Regina was waiting by the tiger statue just some steps away from the gate. Their eyes locked over the crowd and Emma offered an awkward wave. She made her way towards Regina, trying not to hit anyone on her way there since the area was filled with people.

When she finally stopped in front of Regina, she smiled. "Hi."

"Hey." Regina smiled back.

"Are you ready?" Emma asked raising her eyebrows in question.

"I am. Just lead the way." Regina said and they started a walk away from the zoo and towards the city. Regina didn't mention anything on Emma's decision to walk the significant way to the city instead of taking the bus, but she seemed to genuinely enjoy the fresh air and the sun.

The silence was getting longer and longer but it wasn't awkward somehow, which seemed rather odd to Emma, who got easily anxious with even smaller silences. With Regina though, everything seemed to be so different and she couldn't figure out why.

"Have you always wanted to work in a zoo?" Regina asked out of nowhere, interrupting Emma's inner searching.

Emma was thrilled that the ice breaker question had been about the zoo, because talking about her lions was her favorite thing. "Well, not when I was young. I had no idea what I wanted back then, but when I grew up and started to come to the zoo with my parents it all solidified in my mind somehow." she was thinking back on how easy the decision had been to start studying animal biology. "Ever since then this has been all that I have wanted and the only thing I spend my time doing." she smiled brightly.

Regina listened without interrupting, absorbing the information. She wanted to get to know Emma, she really did. The blonde seemed to be someone with a lot of layers, with a lot of feelings hidden and with secrets, and Regina found that entirely captivating.

"What about you? What kind of work do you do?" Emma asked in return, curious to hear more about a job that required such immediate attention and that the brunette shared with her sister somehow.

"I'm a lawyer. Me and my sister have a highly successful company we have been developing ever since I became old enough to be a part of a business." Regina said and her tone was mixture of proudness but there was also sadness in there.

"So was there some sort of a catastrophe yesterday that you needed to handle?" Emma could definitely believe Regina was a lawyer, like there was that sense of regalness to her and she could be very professional, but to be fair Emma had seen more of the emotional side of the other woman.

"Yes. One of my clients had made a mistake with her hearing and she needed immediate assistance and since I had been the one to handle her case before..." Regina trailed off and Emma understood.

"Well, I'm sure you were all badass and swooped in to save the day." Emma grinned, trying to make Regina feel better, since she seemed down somehow.

That made Regina smile brightly and blush just slightly. "Thank you. I rather would not have gone in though but my sense of duty is sometimes infuriatingly big." Regina rolled her eyes at herself. "I want to apologise."

Emma looked at her curiously. "For what?"

"For leaving. I know I said that already, but I saw how upset you were today when I called your name earlier. It was not my intention in anyway to hurt your feelings and I hope that will never be the case again." the remorse was so purely readable in Regina's voice that it made Emma's heart ache.

"Regina, I accepted your apology earlier. I know now why you did it and believe me, I understand the sense of duty." Emma wanted to reassure Regina, so she stopped in order for Regina to really get it.

The other woman stopped as well and stared at the blonde confusedly. Emma took the few steps separating them and stated. "I do forgive you, I do. I was upset yesterday and I'm not gonna lie about that. But I do understand work, I do understand being busy. It just all hit a spot for me. I just don't want you to worry or feel bad anymore, okay?"

Emma wanted to reach out for Regina's hand but managed to restrain herself. The other woman seemed to get the sincerity of her words without physical contact though as she smiled warmly and bowed her head slightly. In comfortable silence they continued their way towards the city.

In a while Emma struck out a conversation about lions and how Regina had mentioned always going to see the lions when she went to a new city. Regina was just as excited about the topic as Emma was and that lasted them all the way to the city and to this little corned coffee shop Regina recommended. Their original plan of walking in the park had changed when the ever changing summer weather had thrown water at them out of nowhere.

The coffee shop was private, but not empty, the tables small and the lights they used had a warm hue. There were plants literally everywhere and every single table held a little cactus or two. Regina ordered coffee and Emma couldn't stop gaping at how the brunette drank it black and Regina in turn couldn't believe the absolutely sweetness that was the mixture of Emma's hot chocolate order. They kept bantering and laughing back and forth, enjoying every minute they spend together.

Lions soon turned to Emma listening Regina tell about her travels. The company business often meant meeting people in different places and that often meant she had to leave home for a while. Even when Regina had mostly been busy with the company and building a name for them, she had taken her fair share of holidays, often deciding to leave America behind to see the wonders of Europe.

She was downright shocked to learn that Emma had never really even left the state they were living in. It wasn't because she didn't want to see places, but mainly because there was never really the right kind of motivation to go and she was nervous to have her first ever trip by herself. Regina joked she would be more than happy to go with her and even when that ended in laugh, it left both women slightly flustered.

Emma was rather unsure how they went from topic to topic but somehow travel plans to go and see the Eiffel Tower turned towards family matters. Regina had already told her a bit about her family, the older red headed sister with a temper but a sense of humor made of pure gold and a sweet parents, proud of their daughters success. It was natural for Emma to always listen to other people talk about families, because how she had came to be was a little bit more complicated than that.

She never lied about her origins, since she felt like she didn't have to. Baby Emma had been found on the side of a road, being only some days old. She had been put into foster care right away, into set of families that she would rather not think about. There had been a lot of neglect, ever since she was a baby and even physical abuse until it had been detected and she had been placed with the Nolan's at the age of four.

And as she always said, the rest was history. She knew how lucky she was to get fostered and later on adopted by loving parents whose main concern was her well being. Mary-Margaret and David had been send from heaven for her, that she was sure of. Not to mention they were so incredibly to sweet towards any- and everybody. They were also so very much in love with each other even after all the years together.

When Emma finished telling about her past and family to Regina, the brunette was quiet for a while. Not because she suddenly looked down on Emma or felt pity for her. No. It was because she admired the strength of other woman, how she had still grown up to be so caring and sweet and wonderful. And she wanted to hug Emma's parents and thank them personally since Emma clearly loved and adored them more than anything.

Afternoon was turning into the early evening and they were still sitting in the small corner table in their small corner cafe, deep in conversation when Emma's stomach growled. They both looked at Emma's mid section and blush crept up the blonde neck. That made Regina giggle a little and Emma furrowed her brows which in turn made Regina actually laugh.

Regina had known that there was something really special about Emma as soon as they had met, but she had no idea just how amazing and funny she would actually turn out to be. She had had the most amazing day with the blonde goofball and she didn't want it to end.

On the other side of the table Emma was feeling very much the same way. It was both wonderful and weird how easy it was to talk to Regina and how well they hit it off. It seemed neither of them were really much into people, but what was clear was they seemed to be into each other. The double meaning registered in Emma's brain and she blushed even more. She didn't want to leave, but her body's requirement for food and her need to still pick up the car from the zoo meant that she would have to go sooner than later. And if they ended up sharing a meal as well, she didn't think she would ever leave.

"Hungry there, dear?" Regina lip stretched into a smirk that was somehow half sweet and half wicked. Emma didn't know how someone like Regina even existed but she was thanking the higher powers that she did.

"Well, it has been a while since I was fed." Emma shot her a look, having told her about the pancakes and how she loved food.

Regina lifted her hands up slightly in surrender, but the smirk remained in its rightful place on the red lips. Emma looked at her phone and sighed at the time. She really had to get going.

"Regina, I do think I have to go. I still need to pick up the car from the zoo before they close for the day." she looked apologetic but Regina understood. They had been together for hours today.

"It's okay, Emma. We'll see each other... soon?" suddenly both of them realised that they never really discussed when they were gonna meet again. Both looked slightly lost before Emma got an idea. She wasn't sure was she being crazy and what was gonna happen, but she was willing to take it up on faith.

"Actually, my friend invited me to go out with her and some other people from the zoo tomorrow and I was wondering... Would you maybe want to go... With me?" Emma felt slightly bit awkward, but all doubt vanished when she saw the blinding smile Regina was sporting.

"With you huh?" there was that flirtatious tone again.

"Yes, with me. Unless you don't want to?" Emma felt slightly lightheaded with her own emotions. Regina could make her go from awkward to the most confident person on earth who was actually able to flirt with a gorgeous woman like the brunette was. What was up with all of that, she did not know.

"I want to." Regina hurried to answer, which made Emma smile brightly back.

"Amazing, good, perfect." she rambled. "How about I text you all the info when I make it home, okay? Easier to have them written down somewhere." she grinned.

"Well, you know how to find me." Regina winked even when Emma saw a slight blush color the high cheekbones.

"I will see you tomorrow then." Emma said and got up a bit clumsily. She had been sitting for hours and she could feel - or rather couldn't feel - how her butt had gone numb. Few leg shakes and amused smile from Regina later, Emma straightened herself and flung her backpack on her back and faced Regina.

Both of them were slightly unsure what was gonna happen, but without second guessing herself too much Emma bend down to give Regina a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to head towards the door. Before she stepped out she looked back and said loud enough for Regina to hear. "I will text you later." and she was gone.

Regina couldn't believe that just happened. She absentmindedly lifted her fingers to slightly touch her cheek and she could feel the heat that had risen to them after Emma's kiss.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma kept her promise to text Regina as soon as she got home. She wanted to do that as soon as she left, but she wanted to keep her cool and text her only when she promised. It had never been so hard to keep her hands off her phone.

Picking up the car and driving home happened quickly as the city had calmed down significantly during the course of the early evening of a Thursday. She parked the car on her mothers usual spot in the driveway and locked the doors. Her father was also home already, which was rather unusual but maybe they had asked someone else to close for today since her mother was away as well.

Emma entered the house, all smiles and just a serene feeling of contentment. Her day with Regina had been amazing and she had really learned a lot about the brunette woman. She had been mesmerized by her since the beginning but she was even more now.

Mary-Margaret and David were clearly in the kitchen and Emma swooped in to greet them. They raised their heads from their salad preparations to look at their daughter. Both of them instantly smiled and Emma came closer to press a kiss on both of their cheeks in greeting.

"Hello sweetheart. How did it go?" Mary-Margaret smiled, seeing full well how happy her daughter seemed to be.

"It was okay." the answer was vague but the blinding smile was telling an entire different story. It was clear to the parents though; Emma had had an amazing time.

"Oh, just okay?" David smirked and Emma rolled her eyes, a smile still on her lips.

"Yes, dad." Emma said. "We were in the coffee shop for hours, just talking and talking."

"That sounds sweet, honey." Mary-Margaret smiled and added all the ingredients into a bowl and started mixing them all together. At the same time David started cleaning up their mess. Emma wished she would one day find someone who would complete her like her parents completed each other.

"It was." she toyed with her phone for a few seconds. "I will go and wash up. What time do we eat?"

"Be down in half an hour to set the table." her mother said and as soon as the words registered in Emma's brain she shot out of her chair, into the stairs and up into her own room. She closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it. The giddy smile she had been sporting while talking with her parents was still very much in place as she jumped down on her bed and opened her phone lockscreen.

She quickly opened her message field but then she stopped. How would she even begin to text Regina? She knew there were some kind of rules but she had no idea what those were. 

_Hi._

Emma typed before staring at the message for a while. She added a smiley emoji after a minute of thinking about it and send it out. Emma had barely put the phone down when it vibrated to alert her of a new message. 

_Hey :)_

It was only a greeting but Emma could feel how her heart was bounding in her chest. She knew she texted to give Regina the info but she felt like she didn't want to go straight to that and have the conversation possibly die there. But before she could think of a good thing to type, the phone vibrated in her hand and another talk bubble appeared under Regina's earlier message. 

_Did you make it home safe?_

Emma felt warm that Regina felt the need to ask, that she was maybe a bit concerned on her well being. That she knew how the respond to as well.

 _I did, just came in. Did you?_

The answer was instant.

 _I did. Just sat down on my bed, wishing you'd text me soon._

Emma actually sat up as her eyes bulging from her head. That was bold, and flirtatious and amazing and she was sure she was having a heart attack if her mad heartbeat was anything to go by. She knew what she was gonna answer.

 **E** : _Well, if I am being honest I wanted to text you as soon as I left._

 **R** : _Why didn't you?_

 **E** : _I didn't want you to think I was too eager._

 **R** : _I kinda like that on you so..._

 **E** : _And there you go again._

 **R** : _Go again?_

 **E** : _Being amazing._

Flirting via text message was way more easier than Emma had ever known it to be. She didn't feel half as awkward and Regina couldn't see how she blushed so this was definitely perfect. 

_Oh stop it!_

Emma wasn't going to.

 _Well, when you stop being amazing I will stop saying stuff like this but tbh I don't think its possible for you not to be amazing._

There was a pause in replying. Emma was back to laying on her bed and she was getting nervous. Regina's responses had been instant ever since her first message, but now suddenly she was quiet. Emma quickly started to second guess herself as she thought she might have been too bold in her statement. She tried to form an apology in her brain but then her phone vibrated again. 

_I will deny this if you ever mention it to anyone, but I might have squealed slightly._

Emma felt suddenly proud and then her mind was filled with a picture of Regina squealing. After baby lions, that must be the cutest thing on earth.

 **E** : _You, Regina Mills, actually squealed? Seems fake but okay_

 **R** : _I will have you know, Emma, that my squeal is the most regal squeal ever._

That made Emma laugh out loud. Of course Regina had to disagree in her own way, trying to make herself seem totally badass. She was though but Emma found her to be so sweet and sensitive and funny. She was unsure how often Regina showed those sides of herself to anyone in her life but what she got from their today's conversation, Regina didn't really have friends except for her sister.

So maybe this was her only time to show all these hidden sides of her. And Emma loved the fact that she was the one she was opening up to.

 _I'm sure it was. So, do you wanna know more about tomorrow?_

Emma realised she had to go down to eat soon but the conversation was something too good to walk away from. She had to share the information about tomorrow as soon as possible though because otherwise she would forget and she really wanted Regina to be there.

 _Yes please._

 _So, Ruby asked me to meet them at the bar called Roni's at 7 pm. I have bad habit of always being way earlier than the rest so I will probably already be there when you arrive. The bar is apparently casual, so casual clothes will be okay. There was gonna be some live music that night as well, if I remember Ruby mentioning correctly!_

It took her a while to type, but Regina's answer was yet again almost instant. Emma had no idea how some people typed so fast with their phones when she was really slow with her typing.

 _Who's Ruby?_

Emma couldn't see Regina's face or hear her voice but there was some undertone jealousy easily readable from her message and Emma found that really interesting.

 _She is my best friend, she works at the zoo as well._

There was another small pause in answering, although Emma could see that Regina had seen her message. She patiently waited, even though she knew she had to go and have dinner soon. Her phone vibrated.

 _Alright, so I will meet you in front of Roni's at 7 pm tomorrow then. Are you working before that?_

Emma's brain jumped into the possibility of seeing Regina twice in the same day and that made her positively giddy.

 _I will work up an early shift, which means I will be leaving a lot earlier than normally, I think I will be out at 2?_

After a second she send another message.

 _Why, are you coming to see me?_

Before reading Regina's message she got up and changed into her comfy outfit and washed her face. That took her only a minute though because she was eager to see how the brunette had answered.

 _I was thinking of it, but I did promise to have lunch with my sister tomorrow :( So I think you'll be long gone before I would get there..._

Emma was disappointed but she understood of course. She couldn't dominate Regina's time and they were already gonna go out tomorrow evening. Which is what she told her.

 **E** : _It's okay, we are gonna see each other anyway tomorrow evening. I cannot wait :)_

 **R** : _Me either :)_

That was when Emma could hear Mary-Margaret call her from downstairs. Dinner was ready and she didn't want to keep her parents waiting.

 **E** : _I have to go to eat. Talk to you later?_

 **R** : _I'd love nothing more! :)_

Emma dropped her phone and shot down the stairs. She was starving and she wanted to tell her parents all about today. 

* * *

They had texted some more during the evening after Emma returned to her room. There was more discussion about Roni's and what kinda place it was and they were both searching it on their respective ends. They shared their drinking experiences and Emma told Regina that she wasn't big on going out and that she hadn't really gone out in actual years since she graduated. Regina reassured her that it was gonna be fun but that she was up for leaving sooner with the blonde if she felt like she needed an out.

Emma felt so warm during all the time they were texting. Regina had the ability to create that in her and she felt like she had met someone really special. They sure had their flirting and everything, but there was genuine warmth and care there and that was gold to Emma.

They had to stop because Emma had an early morning and that meant early night as well. She hesitated for a bit before adding a double pink heart at the end of her 'goodnight' and her heart literally burst when Regina did the same only two seconds later. She was really looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

It was another slow day Emma noted sadly. The time didn't seem to go forward at all, even when she had things to do. She didn't have that many paperwork left so late in the week and she was more than happy to spend most of her day in the lion cave cleaning and watching over her animals.

Ruby stopped by at noon to see how she was doing, but as Emma suspected, to make sure she was still coming. She wasn't sure should she tell Ruby about Regina coming but she didn't have to since Ruby brought her up all on her own.

"So, Emma..." she started with a smirk and Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"What do you mean?" Emma knew that Ruby knew but it was their thing so she kept her head.

"Well, I have seen you around this beautiful brunette for more than one time this week and I am your best friend... so... spill the beans." Ruby sat down in Emma's office chair and spun it to face Emma who was sitting next to the cage on the floor.

Emma had wanted to tell Ruby but there had been so much going on that she had felt rather overwhelmed with everything. She was happy Ruby was asking about it now. So she told her everything, about how they had met, about the first failed coffee date, about Regina apologizing, them exchanging numbers and later having that perfect coffee date.

Ruby was uncharacteristically quiet the entire time, listening with rapt attention and hanging onto every word Emma was saying. It was clear to see that the blonde was happy, more so than she ever had been before and that warmed the wolf girl's heart. Emma was her best friend and she only wanted what was best for her, and it seemed that this Regina was someone who could be that to Emma. She was gonna get to the bottom of it tonight though, since she also knew of the rough childhood and the traumas it had left on the blonde. It was her duty as her best friend to check it out and see it safe.

When Emma finished up, ending the story on the 'good morning' message she had received from Regina this morning, she looked expectedly at her best friend, waiting for the comments that she knew were there. Ruby smiled warmly at Emma before getting up, rounding the chair and hugging the blonde tightly.

Emma was slightly surprised but hugged Ruby back just as tightly.

"I'm so happy for you Emma." she said quietly. "You seem so happy and she seems like someone special."

"I feel like she is." Emma smiled as they now sat next to each other on the floor. She looked down at her hands before voicing a fear she hadn't said out loud to anyone before.

"Is it weird how deeply I feel for her and how affected I am by her... I mean we have only known for few days and even when we had great time yesterday, I still don't know her that well..."

Ruby took Emma's hand to make her look at her. The green eyes looked back at her warily, waiting for the worst, but Ruby smiled encouragingly before answering. "No. Feeling things for other people is never wrong. And this thing you have with her... You don't have to have her all figured out yet, that's the beauty of it. You are getting to know her and when you already like her so much, you can only end up liking her more the more you do get to know her. It's really beautiful Emma, and from what you tell me, she seems to be feeling all the same things as you." she paused for a while. "Just don't let your fears hold you back from something so great."

Emma felt like crying. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her heart and the beautiful, encouraging words of her friends gave her hope and strength. She reached to hug Ruby again and the other girl held her tightly.

"And I'm happy she is coming tonight as well. Gotta roast her, find out her intentions." Ruby smirked and that made Emma smack her lightly. She felt so much lighter and her heart was full.

"Just go easy on her okay? I don't know what this is yet." Emma warned playfully but Ruby knew her well enough to know there was a real warning hidden under there.

"Yes, Emma, I promise." she rolled her eyes before getting up. "I have to go to visit your dear mother. She promised to order some things for my wolfs and I have to go and remind her of that."

"Tell her I said hi." Emma smiled and waved at her friend who closed the door with a bang after her.

Emma busied herself again with her original task - cleaning up the inside cage - before her father radioed her to ask about today since she was leaving early. They went through the normal routine and how Emma wanted Bianca checked before David laughed at her daughters over protectiveness again. It was literally yesterday when they had had the exact same conversation. Emma told him to get lost which he did with another laugh.

Before Emma left for the day she sat down in front of the bars and as soon as she was greeted with some of her lions she whispered. "I'm going out with Regina today... She is something really special." she laughed a little, pressing her hand against the head of her oldest female lions, Elisabeth. "I told you all about her before. She is the really beautiful one. I won't bore you with the details, but there was a bump in the whole plan and we didn't make it to coffee the first time. But the second time was perfect. I'm so excited."

Bianca had made her way to sat down next to the bars, waiting for some kind of contact which Emma happily granted by petting her head. Elisabeth made room for Marie, who came to lay down next to her cub. Emma was quiet for a long time, before she whispered. "I really like her. And when I said I wasn't scared before... I am a little bit now."

A quiet laugh escaped her. "But the dominant feeling in all this is excitement, happiness, the good kinda nervous and the butterflies in my stomach." she pulled her hand away and got a displeased look from her little lion cub. "I have to go now baby, I have to go and get ready, possibly go and buy a new top to go with my jeans... Oh god, I don't know but I have to get going." she leaned her face closer to the bars and whispered. "I love you guys, see you tomorrow."

With that said, she got up and gathered her things. She made quick way to the main building and to the dressing rooms. After a quick change she rushed to the office to greet her mother quickly. They hadn't really talked about how this night was gonna happen as Emma had been too busy to stay at the dinner table for long in order to text Regina faster.

"Hey mom." she greeted and closed the office door behind her.

The office was so very Mary-Margaret, clearly displaying her sense of style and the things she fancied. There were colorful portraits of animals fitted into a collage on one big wall and there were plants around the room. Emma and David had also bought her a big world map where she could mark the places she had visited in her trips to help other zoos. Emma wanted to own her own map someday, she wanted to travel and see the world, it had never been the right time and she was completely devoted to her work.

"Hello sweetheart." Mary-Margaret lifted her eyes from the screen to look at her daughter. As always there was an easy instant smile on her face when she saw her daughter.

"I was about to leave before I remembered that we didn't really talk about tonight." Emma said as she sat down on the comfy visitors chair in front of her mothers desk.

"Well." Mary-Margaret stopped to think for a while. "You are a big girl. You know how we have always talked about being safe and responsible. I trust you, but if you need anything, we are only a phone call away. I will leave my phone on instead of silent tonight, as will your father."

Emma was getting more and more nervous about the night out. Not only because she was gonna spend it with Regina, but she didn't really know what was gonna happen in general. As she wasn't much of a going out person, she was unsure how she was gonna get home and how it was all gonna play out.

"Emma, are you okay?" Mary-Margaret could see how the worries were creeping onto her daughters face as the minutes went by. Emma had been in a very happy and sharing mood when it came to Regina, but that had left every other feeling under it.

"Yeah, yeah." Emma wasn't surprised that her mother didn't look so convinced given that her tone was strained.

"Come on Emma, tell me. I wanna help if you are feeling troubled." Mary-Margaret got up and rounded to stand by Emma's chair. She placed her hand on Emma's shoulder which made Emma turn her eyes towards her mother.

Emma twisted her hands for a bit. "I just haven't been out in a while that's all. I cannot quite remember how to do all this." she laughed awkwardly.

"Just know we are a call or a text away. If something comes up or if you are gonna stay over at someones place, just let us know. You'll have people you know around you there, Ruby's gonna be there, Ariel's gonna be there... Regina's gonna be there." she trailed off a little bit, smiling knowingly which made Emma blush. "You'll be fine."

Emma notted and got up to hug her mother. She wished her farewells before quickly going out and heading for the bus. Any other day she would have walked but today she had things to do. She hadn't lied when she had told her lions that she wanted to buy a new top to go with her black jeans.

On her way to the city she browsed pages of different shops in order to find something she liked. She had an idea but finding something that would fit the idea she had in her head was more difficult than she thought. When finally, she did.


	8. Chapter 8

Regina woke up to Friday morning with her head spinning. She had set an alarm the previous night, knowing it would be difficult to get up in the morning, having spend a long time up thinking about the following day.

It was gonna be really special. She hadn't been out in a good while and for once she was gonna share it with someone she actually wanted to be with. Emma. It all was more like a romantic comedy than reality and Regina had hard time believing any of it was actually happening for her. For them.

She laid in her bed, under her feather light duvet thinking of Emma and how they had first met in the zoo. Regina Mills could recognize that she might not be the warmest or the easiest person, but somehow Emma brought those sides out of her effortlessly. She felt like she could trust the blonde, like she was accepted and cared for, even when they had known for less than a week.

Reaching for her phone she quickly opened the conversation field under Emma's name. She read back on their conversations from the previous night, smiling to herself.

* * *

 **E** : _Do you have any pets?_

 **R** : _I used to have a horse, when I was younger. Obviously living in the city we couldn't have it nearby constantly but I went to the stables to see him as often as possible._

 **E** : _What was his name? Was it something cool and badass?_

 **R** : _Rochinante :)_

 **E** : _It's cute! Makes me think of raisins for some reasons tho :D_

 **R** : _RAISINS?! How dare you, Emma!_

 **E** : _Hey now, you don't know how much I love raisins *hearteyes*_

 **R** : _Hmmm, that might have saved you by the little... *suspicious eyes*_

 **E** : _Yash *victory dance* thank youuuu :)))_

 **R** : _Stop being cute!_

 **E** : _Can't stop what comes naturally to me ;)_

* * *

Emma's text had been so confident that it had given Regina hope that they really were on the same page. She really had wanted to ask directly before their night out but she had chickened out every single time. But if she was any good at reading into any kind of flirtation, they were in this together.

* * *

 **R** : _What are you gonna wear for the outing tomorrow?_

 **E** : _Outing? Regina its a bar, you can say it._

 **R** : _Fine. The bar. Now answer the question._

 **E** : _I'm unsure yet, but as Ruby said its a casual place so I'm gonna go with casual. I'm not that good with fancy anyway._

 **R** : _Why not?_

 **E** : _Idk, just not feeling like that? I'm just a normal me and I enjoy being in jeans and shirts and hoodies. I mean I could maybe pull it off if I tried but it would not be my first choice._

 **R** : _Well, if you ask me you'd look amazing in anything :)_

 **E** : _What are you gonna wear?_

 **R** : _You'll see dear ;)_

* * *

Regina winced when her second alarm went off, nearly dropping her phone. It was ten past ten in the morning and she had promised to go out to lunch with her sister that day. She hadn't seen her sister in forever and she was excited to see her, but she also felt sad of not being able to see Emma before tonight.

The shower was calling her name but before she slipped out of the bed, she opened her messages with Emma once more. Typing quickly and sending her message, she threw back her covers and landed her feet on the floor.

Normally she was rather fast with her everyday preparations, only enjoying long showers when she was in no rush or wanted to pamper herself. But today it took her longer because her mind couldn't stop thinking about tonight. She was nervous which shocked her. Regina Mills did not get nervous because of people or situations. No, she was well beyond that.

But not amount of self boost changed the current fact, that she was indeed nervous and she rolled her eyes at herself. Giving herself a firm kick in the ass, she finished her shower and rushed to her clothing room.

Regina lived in a medium sized apartment near the center of the city. As her sister often reminded her, she could have 'done better' with the money she made running the company but she was more fond of small, comfy spaces that would make it easy to call it home. The only thing she had requested when looking for an apartment was a sizable clothing room for her many outfits.

Even though her company was based in this city, Regina had lived elsewhere for a good number of years. Their plan had been to open another office to another state and after years of trying and hiring promising lawyers, they had finally succeeded. At that time Regina had wanted, needed, yearned for space and time to herself, so she volunteered to take in the rough starter years of another office.

Now it was blooming and business was doing even better, and Regina had felt the first twinge of homesickness. It had been time to return and make a home in the city once more. That had only been the weekend before as she had entered the local zoo and now... Now she felt like everything had changed somehow, for the better.

For the lunch with her sister, she opted for a pantsuit, since they were going for fancy as was common for them. They had a regular place and her sister had suggested it when she asked her little sister out to lunch. They hadn't seen each other after Regina returned so this was a reunion as well.

In less than half an hour Regina was ready, with her hair straightened and her make up perfected. She gathered things into her bag, before reaching for the final thing, her phone. She had send Emma a quick 'good morning' paired with a same kinda heart they had used the night before. While she had gotten ready, Emma had answered.

 _Good morning *smiley face* *double pink hearts*_

Regina smiled widely and was just about to type an answer before her phone started to ring in her hands. It was her sister calling. Regina answered swiftly.

"Good morning sis! Are we still on for today?" a chipper voice greeted her with the other end of the phone line.

"Yes, yes we are. I'm just about to leave." Regina said, making her way towards her front door. She turned off all her lights and double checked her keys. As everything was ready, she slipped into her heels that she had left by the door. She left her beanie at home today, and instead of her cozy jacket she went for her slim black one. What she did put on though, was the same scarf she had been wearing ever since Monday.

"Marvelous. I'm on my way as well. See you soon!" and she hanged up the phone.

Regina stepped out of her house and into an elevator. She pushed a button to take her to ground floor. She had originally thought of taking a cab, but seeing another sunny day in front of her, she decided to walk. It wasn't all that far and somehow the city seemed calm today.

It only took her less than half an hour to make it to the restaurant. She looked around for a familiar red head but upon not finding her, she entered the restaurant. Greeting the waiter she asked about their reservation. Every and all reservations were always under the name Mills, so it didn't really matter who came in.

The waiter told her that someone had already arrived so she showed Regina to their table. The noticeable red hair that she had been looking from the streets greeted her as soon as they made it near one of the window tables on the second floor. It was like the other woman sensed someone was arriving as she lifted her gaze from her phone to meet her sister.

"Regina!" she sounded happy as she got up to hug her little sister tightly. On the outside they weren't really looking much alike, what with their considerable differences in height and hair color. Most similarities could be found from their faces, how they smiled and how their eyes sparked. They both had the sense of power oozing from them, which made them even more successful in their line of business.

"Zelena! I'm so happy to see you." Regina squeezed her sister closer, happy that they were finally reunited. They called weekly and they had video chatted a lot during her time living in another state. This was the first time they saw each other face to face in years though. It didn't even really feel like that long since time was flying by without either of them really noticing.

"I'm happy to see you too! Sit down, tell me everything!" Zelena sounded really excited as both women sat down on their respective sides of the table. The redhead poured her younger sister some of their favorite wine and leaned on her hands expectively.

"So?"

"I don't even know where to start." Regina laughed and took a sip on her drink. "Ask me questions!"

"Well, how's the new apartment? You showed me some pictures, but you really could have done so much better." Zelena wondered and Regina rolled her eyes.

"The apartment is wonderful. I got all I need there and I was looking for something smaller than my last place, that was way too big and clean for my taste." Regina answered, raising her eyebrow waiting for another question.

"When are you coming back to work?" it seemed like Zelena had written her questions down somewhere. They came without having to so much as stop to think about it.

"I don't know yet. I'm more than happy right now to fill my days with something else, charge some batteries and relax. I worked my ass off in the new place for quite a number of years, if you recall." Regina lifted her eyebrow in completely different way now, signaling her sister that if she so much dared to question the quality of her work, they would end up having an argument.

The Mills sisters had their occasional fight, but they haven't seen each other for so long that Zelena intended to play nice. Besides she had nothing bad to say about her little sisters leading in the other unit. She had done fantastic job and because of her talent and expertise the whole attempt had worked and eventually paid off as well.

"Don't worry, I have only good things to say about the unit number two. Which is why I would like to propose a toast." she lifted her glass, her sister joining her smiling brightly. "To my sisters shining success." they touched their glasses gently together, melodic sound staying in the air for a bit longer.

"Thank you sis." Regina said, blushing just lightly. It was always nice to get good feedback and if her sister was impressed, it meant their mother must be as well and that was quite something.

"So what's new with you? Not to go to too much detail about work, is everything going smoothly?" Regina inquired in turn, leaning closer the same way her sister was, resting her head on her hands.

Zelena told her some points about the offices current situation, and Regina admitted she was only listening with half of an ear. It was fascinating, but as said, she was having some time off so work talk wasn't exactly why she had agreed to meet up with her sister.

The older sister noticed how her little sister's concentration started to vanish and her eyes glassed over, a clear sign the other woman was lost inside her own head. Zelena couldn't really blame her though. She expected people to listen to her when she talked, but her sister really had worked so hard that a vacation was what she needed and deserved. So she ended with work things and entered a whole new topic.

"Enough about work... So, is there anyone special in your life?" Zelena could tell instantly that there was something to tell as a tell tale blush made its way to the high cheekbones as Regina shifted slightly in her seat. "Oh my god, there is, isn't there? Tell me everything!"

Regina hesitated. She knew for sure that Zelena was okay with her dating a woman, since this wasn't the first time she had been attracted to the fairer sex. No, she was sure her sister would not be as understanding about the fast pace of her feelings. Zelena was more of a free spirit, someone who wasn't about to settle down in the 'prime of her life' as the redhead put it. She went out a lot to have fun, but there had never been any mentions of love or relationships.

The brunette sister on the other hand was her complete opposite. She did believe in the true love, sometimes with ridiculous amount of optimism. Regina had had her share of relationships, every time feeling more than the other person was. It had ended up hurting her, which was why she was rather nervous about what was going on with Emma. But there was something different about Emma, she was sure of it, she just couldn't put her finger on it. She trusted Emma more now than she had ever truly trusted any of her other partners. Regina hoped with all her might she would be right about the blonde.

She decided to tell Zelena everything after all, only just slightly downplaying some of her feelings and fears in order not to freak out her sister and make her judge her. It wasn't like Zelena to be quiet through a full story but today was definitely different. She didn't blink, didn't take a single sip of her drink, just stared and listened.

Regina ended her story in the mentions of the 'good morning' messages they had exchanged this morning, taking a hold of her glass in order to wet her mouth with something. It had taken her a fair amount to tell the story so her mouth was definitely dry. Zelena was yet to say anything and Regina was waiting nervously. And then...

"Okay." the redhead said and laid her hands on the table in front of her. "First off..." there was a pause in the last second, as if the older woman would have reconsidered her starting point. Making up her mind, she started again. "Firstly, I'm genuinely so happy there is someone decent out there who makes you so giddy and excited. Secondly, I wanna meet her. There is no way you will get your heart broken by someone again. There will be an interrogation, but you just gotta slide with that. Thirdly... Regina, I know this seems all so wonderful and you sound so smitten, but please... Be careful okay? Be patient with how much you start to feel attached to this girl, woman, whatever. Okay?" she looked at her sister seriously, not at all playing around and for Zelena, that was a record of some kind for sure.

Regina felt so touched with the sincerity of her sisters words and how worried she was for her. She knew where Zelena was coming from with her notions as they were nothing new in her own mind. But she had promised to herself to go forward without questioning herself too much. She just wanted to enjoy this massively good feeling she was having.

"I know Zelena, I know all of it. I can promise to try to be careful but neither you, or me can know what's gonna happen. And even when I am nervous and slightly scared, I'm excited more than anything. I feel... I feel happy Zellie." Regina talked passionately and Zelena could see the stars that were sparking in those chocolate eyes.

"Emma better treat you right, otherwise I may have to kill her." Zelena said coolly, sipping her drink regally and Regina couldn't help but to burst into laughter. Zelena was smiling at her sisters free laughter and soon joined her.

There had been certain kind of tension around the table, but it had finally been lifter with the magic of laughter. That also beckoned the waiter to come closer to offer them the menus. Both sisters decided quickly what they wanted and the waiter bowed away.

"So what are you gonna wear to this date of yours tonight?" Zelena asked, getting comfy on her chair.

Regina looked off before an evil grin spread across her face. "Oh, I have just the thing."

* * *

/ so yeah i wanted to use proper emojis with those text messages, but my computer is old ya know... it doesn't really support them. so written word it is! i hope you are enjoying the story!


	9. Chapter 9

Regina said her farewells to her sister outside the restaurant. They hugged warmly before Zelena floated towards the car she had called to pick her up. Regina looked how the car took off the curb and shot into the mess of busy cars.

Regina started her walk away, back towards her house, deep in thought. She knew what she wanted to wear for their night out, it was a slight push towards a fancy side, but she knew she could make it casual by owning it.

It felt like she was a lot faster with her walk back home than she was when she left, but before she noticed she was standing at her door. She quickly stepped in, hanging her clothes on their proper places before going towards her closet, determination shining from her face.

Dropping her purse onto her bed, she opened the double doors that led to her clothing room, her hands landing on her hips as she looked at her many dresses, pantsuits, jackets and shoes. Quickly deciding on the footwear she picked out black pair of simple heels that she set down next to the bed.

She was going for an elegant, tightly hugging dress that would leave little to the imagination and would hold Emma's attention on her the entire night. Regina had seen how Emma had checked her out before and she would be a rotten liar if she said she hadn't checked out Emma's ass in those overalls she wore for work.

Her clothing room held on several different kind of black dresses, but she knew she owned one specific one which she hardly ever used, saving it for only special occasions. And this was definitely a special occasion.

Moving aside several, her hands finally found the familiar, soft heavy fabric. She pulled it out with a smile, modeling it in front of her body, looking satisfied. Laying it down on the bed, she looked on in thought, thinking of possibly adding something to it. Walking back towards the clothing room she went on her numerous jackets. She dismissed nearly all of them with a small shake of her head before her expression brightened. Pulling out a short back leather jacket, she walked back out and laid it next to the dress, nodding happily. She was gonna look amazing.

Checking the time she realised she still had several hours before she even had to get ready, so she busied herself in the kitchen, putting away some of her things that were still in boxes. Time seemed to go so very slowly and she was getting frustrated because something like organizing, which she liked to do, wasn't cutting it this time. She briefly considered of watching a movie, but that would raise her level of frustration even more.

Closing the remaining boxes with a huff, she made her way to her bedroom and to her purse. She pulled her phone out, seeing there were several messages waiting for her. Sitting down on the bed, she quickly unlocked her phone, opening messages she had gotten from Zelena, all of them wishing her good luck and she had even send her a selfie of her and her little dog, Bella.

Regina had forgot how much she adored her sister and how much she had missed her. They had always been close, but starting the business had driven them apart since they were both busy, even when they were in the same building together. There had also been creative differences in the beginning which had caused a delay in the process of really starting off as a good legal presentation. It took them years to stabilize the business and when things calmed down, they grew closer again.

Zelena was her best friend, there was no question about that and she was happy she had her support in the whole Emma thing. She send her sister a picture of the clothes she was gonna wear, matched with a smiley face. Next she opened the messages she had gotten from Emma.

 _I have left work! Freeeedommmm_

 _Hey, remember to eat before we go drinking! Otherwise the alcohol will go straight to your head!_

 _Okay, officially on my way home! Cannot wait to see you in few hours :)_

Regina smiled at how Emma had wanted to tell her how her afternoon was going and how she felt like she wanted to make sure she was eating before going out. The brunette was getting a slight nervous vibe from the blondes texts, but that made Emma seem even more endearing in her eyes.

 _I'm gonna eat before I come, don't worry! I cannot wait to see you either, it's been weird not to go to the zoo at all today :(_

Regina threw her phone down, not wanting to seem too eager even when she was waiting for the text back. Making her way to the bathroom she decided to scrub her face clean of make-up before taking another shower. She wanted to look her best and there was nothing better than slipping into fresh clothes, feeling just as fresh.

It took her some minutes to be completely rid of make up and she slipped into her bedroom to quickly check her phone before showering.

 _I know, it's been weird for sure. I missed you..._

It made Regina jump a little and she would deny it until her grave if anyone ever called her out on it. She checked the time, genuinely shocked at how fast the time had suddenly gone. It was time to start getting ready so she was at the bar at the time she promised Emma. None the less, she typed in a response before disappearing into the bathroom once more.

 _I miss you too._

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 _/ we are nearing the end of this story - there will be one more chapter after this one. i really do hope you have enjoyed this story as much as i did writing it._


	10. Chapter 10

/ so here is the last chapter of 'my lionheart'.

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Emma was making her way towards what she thought might be the right bar. Before leaving she had looked up the route from her phone. It took her two buses to get there and there was walking involved after that. Emma held her phone in front of her, following the little dot on the screen that presented her current location. The map said it would take her 7 minutes to reach Roni's which she was really happy to hear.

It was quarter to seven and she was early, just as planned. She had texted Ruby to let her know where she was, and as she had suspected the wolf girl was gonna be late. Ruby told her to go in already however if any of the other people arrived before her and that she would find her later. That left Emma slightly anxious, but what calmed her a great deal was the fact that Regina was gonna arrive soon as well.

Having send the brunette a message as well, Emma was sure that she was already on the way. Regina traveled by bus from her place but instead of having to take two like Emma, she had been okay with one. Last message they exchanged indicated that she was in the bus, less than ten minutes away as well.

Rounding yet another corner Emma was greeted with a round sign hanging from the side of the house. Roni's was written with green light cable and there were warm lights coming from the windows. Emma peeked in a little bit, feeling good about the fact that it seemed like a small easy going place and that it was still fairly empty. The blonde appreciated her friends efforts to have them meet early enough so they could actually find a place to sit and have some peace before the normal Friday goers showed up.

Emma had no idea how popular Roni's was but it had gotten good reviews online and that alone made Emma feel more confident. She turned off her map app, before texting both Ruby and Regina to let them know she was already there. It didn't look like any of her other coworkers were there yet and she couldn't see them through the bar's window either. So looked like she was the first one as per usual.

She didn't have to wait long though before her name was called. "Emma! Hey!"

Emma spun around to see a group of four people walk towards her. It was her friend Ariel with her boyfriend Eric and Eric's friend Michael. There was another girl that Emma didn't know so well, but she knew the animals she worked with. That was Lacey and her area of expertise were elephants. It was very much like Mary-Margaret and David to hire younger people, wanting to provide them with a place to work after they graduated. They also held into high standard the new fresh ideas these youngsters brought into their zoo. The zoo had older people working as well, which only added into the multilayerness of it all since it was encouraged that the oldies taught the newbies and vice versa.

"Hey, Ariel." Emma waved a little and accepted the hug that was flying her way. Ariel was a big hugger and even when they saw each other daily, there was always a hug waiting for her. "Is this everyone or is someone still missing?"

"Well, Ruby is late as per usual but I was kinda counting on it." Ariel rolled her eyes, knowing full well how it was nearly impossible for Ruby to be early for a social gathering. "But I think this is it? Ruby invited a lot of people, but someone has to work since so many of us asked for an evening off." she looked apologetic.

"But I heard that Ivy might be coming after her shift." Lacey said shyly as was in her nature. She was a sweet girl but she was a lot shyer than the rest of them, even more than Emma.

"Well, should we go in that case?" Eric asked, draping his arm around Ariel's shoulder and slowly moving them towards the door.

Emma wanted to tell them that she was still waiting for someone but before she noticed she was being pulled toward the door and into the bar. Swiping out her phone she opened her messages with Regina ready to type in an apology of not waiting for her, when her eyes landed on a message that had been send only few minutes before.

 _Emma, I'm sorry! I got lost somehow and didn't step out on the right stop! I will be there a little bit past 7, I'll walk!_

So their grand private meeting before anyone else arrived was definitely out of the window, Emma realised sadly. She typed Regina a quick reply telling her she had already been whisked away into the bar but that she would be waiting for her. Putting the voices on in case Regina called, she slipped the phone back into her back pocket.

Ariel and Eric had already ordered their drinks by that time and browsed the bar for a empty table that would fit them all. There was one in the corner that would fit all of them and they practically ran towards it. Michael had helped Lacey decide what to drink and pointed her towards the table where Ariel was waving at her.

"So, what will you be having?" Michael asked smiling at Emma, who had sat herself down on one of the stools at the bar. She didn't mind waiting for her drink, giving her more time to think what she actually wanted.

"I don't know yet. I'm not much of a drinker." Emma admitted, although it was no secret among her friends that Emma was more of a home mouse than anything else.

"Well, I do recommend the beer. We have been here before and I really like what they are serving in the tabs." Michael said when his drink was given to him by a gorgeous woman behind the bar. Michael stared at the older woman for a while before Emma cleared her throat and shooed him toward their table with an eye roll.

Turning towards the menu they had on the table, Emma pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and bit into it. She had no idea what she wanted really, knowing only that she preferred it sweet. There was a slight chime of a bell that signaled there were new people coming in. Emma whipped around in order to possibly spot Regina but as the crowd cleared, she turned away disappointed. She wished Regina would come soon.

"Well, well, well, what is a woman as beautiful as you doing here all by herself?" Emma hadn't noticed that when the new group of people had come in, one of the guys had moved closer to her. He had sat on the bar stool next to her without her noticing and was leaning just a slightly bit too close for her taste. Emma might have been rather inexperienced in dating and flirting but she was familiar with come ons. This was yet another one of those lines that guys actually thought would work, but Emma personally didn't know anyone who had ever fallen for that.

"Waiting for someone, as a matter of fact." Emma said with a clear disinterest oozing from her every word. That didn't seem to register on the guys mind as her confirming she was alone for now sounded like an invitation for him.

"Well, let me buy you a drink so we can... Wait together." he was leaning closer and closer, moving his hand just slightly in order to reach out for her. Emma was suddenly feeling really uncomfortable. She didn't want this strange man talking to her, let alone touching her. It would have been clear to any woman that she was not interested but more often than not the guys had no idea what tones meant.

"No, thank you." she said, making herself quite clear and turning away from him a little to re-read the menu. Oh how she wished she had known what to order so she would be safe in her table full of friends.

"I would really like to buy you a drink though." the man said, clearly not understanding or listening for that matter. Emma was starting to get annoyed on top of her massive feeling of discomfort.

"Did you hear what I-" Emma started before there was a slender, strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"Darling." a soft kiss was placed on her cheek. "There you are."

Emma turned to look at Regina and her breath caught in her throat as she looked the other woman over. The dark short hair was in the most cutest little curls, framing the most beautiful face Emma had ever seen. Seeing the black dress that hugged every single one of Regina's curves and the totally badass leather jacket made Emma's mouth dry. She didn't even know where to look at but then there were fingers placed under her chin and directed to look at the chocolate brown eyes.

Regina smiled fondly, before turning towards the man who was looking at Regina as well, with his mouth slightly hanging open. There was sudden steel in the brown eyes as she looked rather disgusted eyeing the man in front of her up and down. "Is this man bothering you?"

"What?" Emma had hard time kick starting her brain as they seemed to have completely turned into smush.

"I think she made it completely clear that she wants nothing to do with you." Regina didn't really stop to listen to what Emma had to say, since upon entering the bar she had witnessed enough of the ordeal to know what was going on. She had felt the need to step in, not that she had any doubts that Emma could take care of herself. "So if I were you, I'd get lost. Now."

The guy didn't have to be told twice as there was something downright scary being on the receiving end of Regina's silent, almost calm anger. He ran off and Regina turned to smugly look at Emma's face. She used her fingers to push Emma's mouth closed, even when she had to admit she loved Emma's reaction.

"Earth to Emma." she laughed as she turned fully to look at the blonde, dropping her hand around her waist. Only then did she notice what the other woman was wearing. It was Regina's turn to open her mouth like a fish, because Emma looked absolutely gorgeous.

She had mentioned her black jeans before, but Regina had no idea how skintight those pants actually were. It looked like they were painted on and Regina couldn't wait for Emma to actually get up so she could see all of it. That was paired with black Converse shoes and a simple white dress shirt, half tucked into the jeans. It had been buttoned up all the way and the wavy blonde hair had been pulled up on a tight high ponytail, letting the curls fall on her shoulders beautifully. And it only now occurred to Regina that she had never seen Emma with any make up on, but now the younger woman was sporting red lipstick and she had her eyes and eyebrows done.

"I think it might be Earth to Regina." Emma had clearly worked through her stupor and was now smirking in turn as she saw Regina checking her out.

"What?" brown eyes snapped up to meet green.

"You are totally checking me out." Emma smirked, feeling really confident in herself.

"Well, maybe. You do look positively... Divine." Regina whispered with her deep rich voice, taking a small step closer the blonde.

Emma's brain was giving in once more. She had no idea how she was ever gonna survive tonight if Regina was gonna keep this up. "I have never been called that."

"And that right there, is absolutely criminal. You always look beautiful." Regina said quietly leaning closer. Emma's eyes grew wide but Regina was just reaching for the menu that was still in front of the blonde on the bar. She tried to subtly take some deep breaths to calm her wildly beating heart.

"What's good here?" Regina concentrated on the menu but she was feeling how Emma was slightly shifting next to her.

"I can't really say, I haven't really drank anything." Emma said shrugging a little bit. She was leaning closer to see the menu for what felt like millionth of time, still nowhere near deciding what she wanted.

"Well, in that case we are gonna have some apple cider." Regina put the menu down and waved at the woman behind the bar. She flashed her wide smile at her, which was quickly returned. Emma felt her brows furrow as she leaned a little bit closer to Regina.

Regina quickly ordered two ciders, swiftly paying for them both before Emma could even open her mouth. Emma shot her a dirty look, promising to pay for the next round which the brunette accepted with a wave of her hand. The bartender brought their drinks, lingering just slightly which irritated Emma more than it should have.

Regina saw the way Emma looked at the bartender and it made her laugh. The beautiful blonde was not very subtle, even when she took herself as someone who didn't really show many emotions, but Regina could read her like a book.

"To our first night out." Regina lifted her glass, making Emma concentrate on her again. Emma lifted her glass to meet Regina's, clinking them together.

Taking a sip, Emma's eyebrows shot up as the sweet taste hit her taste buds. That in turn made Regina smile. Seeing Emma so relaxed made her relax as well and she was happy the other woman liked her favorite drink.

"So where are all your friends?" Regina looked around.

"They are right over..." Emma turned to look at the table only to be met with four sets of wide eyes staring right at them. "...there."

"The ones staring at us?" Regina said before giving a bit of a wave towards them. Everyone waved back, looking even more confused.

"That's them. There is still one missing though." Emma took a sip on her drink just as the bell on on top of the door binged. They both turned to look who entered this time and it was no other than Emma's best friend.

"Emma!" Ruby shot towards them and swooped Emma up in a hug as the blonde laughed. She had the sense to put her glass down, otherwise they would have been fully covered in cider. "Ruby! Put me down!"

Regina looked at the display with slight distaste. She was genuinely happy Emma had friends, but the green monster of jealousy was lifting it's head. Emma had mentioned that Ruby was her best friend and they seemed really buddy buddy, but she couldn't help it. Tampering it down as much as possible, she took a step forward to meet the other brunette who had just put her crush down.

"Have you waited long?" Ruby asked, shedding her jacket. She had put herself into some leather pants and almost fully see through shirt. It was typical Ruby outside of work setting and she had already turned a lot of heads in that five second period she had been jacketless.

"A good amount of time as per usual." Emma shot her a look that Ruby just waved off. "But now everyone's here." she pointed to the general direction of the table they friends were sitting by.

"Has Regina arrived as well?" Ruby looked towards the table she had seen her friends at but couldn't see anyone new so she turned back to Emma.

Regina took a brave step forward. "I'm Regina, nice to meet you." she extended her hand in greeting. Ruby looked her up and down before accepting the shake by taking Regina's hand. "And I'm Ruby, Emma's best friend. Nice to meet you."

Ruby knew she was pushing some buttons if the tight look on Regina's face was anything to go by. It really did look like she fancied Emma enough to be jealous over her, which Ruby deemed a good quality so far. But Ruby wasn't the only one noticing her tight greeting.

"Should we go to the table? I'm gonna order a drink." Ruby didn't really wait for them to answer before she pushed towards the bar, trying to find a place to order from as the bar was packing up quickly.

"Shall we?" Regina took their drinks as she was making her way towards the table before Emma took a hold of her hand and pulled her against her tightly.

Regina's breath caught in her throat as she felt Emma's entire body against her own. It was very unexpected move but she was all for it.

"Are you okay?" Emma whispered against her ear and Regina was sure her legs were gonna give out any second. "Is something wrong?"

Regina gulped before answering. "No, of course not. What makes you think that?" she was quite sure Emma had seen her less than pleased expressions a moment before. She wasn't gonna deny them if Emma ever asked, because she didn't want her feelings to be a secret, she just had no idea how to bring them up herself.

"Well, you didn't look all that happy a moment ago." Emma said and trailed off for a bit. "Will you tell me if something comes up or if you feel uncomfortable?"

"I promise." Regina whispered, her breath hitting the other woman's neck in hot puffs. Goosebumps were hiking up Emma's neck and Regina had an unexplainable urge to trace them with her tongue. She was so close to Emma it was nearly intoxicating.

"Thank you." Emma let her arm settle further down on Regina's body so it was resting on her hip. "And thank you for coming to my rescue earlier." Regina could physically feel Emma's smirk in her entire body, becoming surer and surer she was gonna burst before she even finished her first drink.

"Well, I'm not too fond of other people staring at you." Regina whispered bravely even when her voice had a definite waver in it.

"And why's that?" Emma had to push them off the way as the bar area was getting crowded. They were conveniently now hiding behind a wooden pillar, Regina's back nearly leaning on it. Neither of the woman seemed to mind the close proximity as Emma only pushed closer.

They were now flushed against a pillar, their faces only a breath apart. Their breathing was slightly labored, both trying to transport as much oxygen into their brains so they wouldn't fail them now.

"I want to be the only one staring at you." Regina whispered, unsure at first had Emma heard what she said but if the blown eyes and slightly open mouth were anything to go by, she had heard her just fine.

It was amazing how they had gone from awkward and fumbly to nearly molding into a one person in less than five days. To Regina it should have felt weird, but she just couldn't care less. There were so many emotions in play when she was around Emma and none of them were negative.

Now her entire body was nearly vibrating as Emma shifted just enough for her leg so snuggle in between her legs lightly. Regina was quite sure the blonde had no idea where her legs were since she was staring intently at her.

And then, to both of their surprise, Emma took a step back. It felt like a bubble had burst in a way, as Regina could feel the vibrating of her body stop. She looked slightly alarmed, concerned she had said something to upset Emma.

That didn't seem to be the case as Emma's hands were reaching to gently hold Regina's face. Their eyes locked once more, both open and searching. In that moment Emma leaned closer. Regina's heartbeat was increasing to concerning heights as Emma's face was coming towards her own.

She closed her eyes and waited for their lips to touch. But that never happened. Instead Emma's lips landed on her cheek, partly touching her jawline in the most sensual of ways, lingering for a while before she pulled back. Brown eyes shot open to look at the soft green ones and the smile that had spread on the blondes face. Regina opened her mouth, but she had no idea what to say. It seemed though, that Emma knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"I know we haven't really talked about, well... anything, but I just want you to know. I'm here for only you to look at." she smirked before pressing another kiss to Regina's cheek.

Before Regina could open her mouth the blonde pulled her towards the table where all her friends were now sitting. Ruby had somehow gotten her drink and had even bought everyone a shot. Arriving next to them, Emma opened her mouth.

"Everyone, this is Regina. Regina, these are my friends."

Everyone took a turn by telling their name and Regina gave a small wave to each of them before sitting down next to Emma. She didn't hesitate resting her hand on the blondes thigh, replaying Emma's previous words in her head.

Regina didn't want to read too much into it, but it seemed to be really obvious. She was waiting to ask Emma though, because she wanted to see how this evening would unfold.

"Sooo..." Ruby smirked, taking a sip of her drink and turning her attention towards Regina. "What are your intentions with our Emma here?" Ruby lacked some subtlety when she was sober but having even two drops of alcohol in her system, she lost the little bit she had.

Regina looked at her wide eyed before looking at Emma who had an amused look on her face as she shook her head. That calmed Regina little bit since this was apparently meant to be funny in someway. She was going to answer truthfully though because Ruby meant a great deal to Emma, so it was important that she would be accepting of them as a couple when the time arrived.

"Well, I do intend to keep seeing her as much as possible. I like her a lot and I do wanna ask her on another date with me." Regina answered in very business-like manner, taking a sip of her drink after having answered.

All of Emma's friends were staring at the blonde, waiting for her reaction, but the blonde in question only had eyes for Regina. She was amazed by the serious answer to Ruby's question but the mention of the second date made her heart beat out of her chest.

"You want to ask me out again?" she asked, completely surprised.

"Of course I do! We are not a one date wonder and there are several wonderful places I want to take you." Regina smiled and looked at the beautiful woman next to her.

"In that case, yes Regina Mills, I would love to go out with you. Just let me know when you want to do it." her smile was blinding.

Now it was Regina who pressed her lips to Emma's cheek before whispering into her ear. "Will do, dear."

The entire table was quiet, all of them just staring at the pair. To everyone's surprise it was Michael who opened her mouth first. "That was so smooth, I gotta write this down."

That caused an uproar of laughter as everyone cracked up. The atmosphere was completely different after that as the conversation started to flow more easier. The youngsters of the zoo were curious as to what Regina did for a living and after a while of Regina talking about the fine points of the law she had a table full of admirers. She in turn wanted to know what kind of animals were everyone taking care of at the zoo, considering they were all coworkers with each other.

Topic of the zoo took them a good several hours as everyone had a story they wanted to share with the rest. More drinks were ordered, more laughter was bubbling out and Emma noticed how much fun she was actually having. This was the best night she had had in ages and she was so happy Ruby had asked her to join.

Regina was thinking of the same things. She had never really spend any real time with the people her age, so it was so good it was finally the time to do that. Emma's friends were really colorful and really funny. But the best part hands down was the fact that she had spend the entire evening leaning on Emma's side as the blondes arm was loosely draped on her shoulders.

This was the kind of intimacy Regina wasn't used to but her body was tingling with the beauty of it. She noticed that when it was nearing 1 am, Emma had started to dose off a little bit. For someone who never drank, Emma had done remarkably well with her drinks but it seemed they had finally caught up with her. She was resting her head on Regina's shoulder, mumbling something every once in a while. Eric had already taken Ariel home, but the rest were still there.

"I think I need to take Emma home. She is barely awake and I will have no chances if she fully falls asleep." Regina said, trying to rouse the blonde from her nap.

"Are you gonna send her home or will you let her crash at yours? Either way, be sure to text her parents." Lacey reminded her sweetly, downing another shot of vodka Ruby had brought for her. For someone who had been drinking the entire evening, Lacey seemed the less affected by the alcohol. Regina had had her fair share during the night, feeling a slight spin in her head.

"I will do that. Can someone call us a cab please? We will go and get dressed in the meantime." Regina helped Emma up and the blonde followed after her like a little zombie and Regina doubted she had any idea of her surroundings.

"There you go, darling. Give me your hand." Regina was helping Emma with her sleeves and in few minutes the blonde was dressed and ready to go, definitely more awake than she had been before. Regina dressed herself just in time for a cab to drive in front of the bar.

The entire table got up for goodbye hugs and promises to text them tomorrow. Regina helped Emma into the cab and closed the door behind them. Regina gave the driver her address and the cab started it's fast journey towards her apartment.

"Gina... Did you have fun tonight?" Emma slurred her words only a bit, the tiredness being the only clear indicator that she had had more than few drinks.

"I did. Your friends are really lovely." Regina said as she patted Emma's golden hair.

Emma frowned at that before asking. "More lovely than me?"

"No one could be more lovely than you, my dear." Regina said sweetly, quite sure that Emma would remember none of this tomorrow morning.

There were no traffic and they arrived in front of Regina's building in less than ten minutes. Emma managed to walk to the doors by herself as the brunette paid for the cab. When she reached the blonde at the door, Emma turned to look at her puzzled.

"What? Is everything okay?" Regina held onto her shoulder tightly, searching her unfocused eyes.

"Are you taking me to your place?" Emma looked up at the high building and the fancy entrance.

"If you are okay with that?" Regina asked and searched for her keys. She had not asked Emma her preference since she had been asleep on her shoulder, but she was slightly regretting it now.

"Of course I am, this is really cool." Emma was giving her a silly smile.

Regina led her inside and to the elevator. She lived on the top floor so it took them a while to get there. The elevator trip was completely quiet though. There were no words exchanged and it continued all the way into the apartment.

Regina locked the door behind them, as Emma hanged her coat and took off her shoes. She asked about the bathroom breaking the silence for the first time. Regina pointed to the general direction, taking off her own outerwear. The blonde disappeared but soon there was a follow up question about possibly borrowing a toothbrush. Regina joined her in the bathroom, noticing that Emma had made a good time in taking off all her clothes, except for her tanktop.

The blonde looked positively adorable, standing in the massive bathroom with her wild hair she had let down and a small smile. Regina gave her a new toothbrush deciding to join her and they brushed their teeth together, their eyes locked through the mirror.

"Are you ready to sleep?" Emma asked as she had rinsed her mouth and settled her toothbrush by the sink to wait for the morning.

"Yes I am, come on." Regina took Emma's hand and pulled her with towards the bedroom. As soon as Emma saw the huge bed, she gasped and without saying anything she dived towards it. The childlike glee and happiness that were shining in Emma's eyes made Regina want to join her.

She mimicked Emma, in getting rid of most of her clothes and shrugging on the first t-shirt she could find before she dived in, both of them laughing from the bottom of their stomachs. They made quick work in settling under the duvet before they calmed down and looked at each other in the eyes, both laying on their sides.

"Regina." Emma whispered.

"Yes, Emma?" Regina whispered as well.

"Thank you for the best night ever. It wouldn't have been the same without you." Emma smiled and pressed a small kiss to Regina's nose.

Regina smiled brightly and she in turn wanted to thank Emma. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Of course." Emma whispered cheerily.

A small silence settled over them before Regina whispered even more quietly.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Emma didn't look at all surprised, but her expression turned serious.

"Not tonight. I don't wanna risk not remembering our first kiss. So please, if you can wait... Ask me again tomorrow."

Regina laid her hand on the other woman's cheek and brushed her thumb across it a couple of times. "I will, I promise."

* * *

Morning sun was shining in from the small crack in Regina's bedroom curtains. If you listened closely you could even hear birds chirping their greetings into the morning air. It was that serene morning time when not many people were awake yet. It would have made sense for Emma to be still asleep as well, but she had woken up with the sun.

She wasn't hungover, which came as a surprise to her considering she remembered how dead tired she had been when they had made it to Regina's. Realising she was at Regina's made her look around in the massive bedroom. It was clearly Regina's bedroom, there was no doubt, but there were elements that didn't quite fit the hard exterior the brunette often put up. They fitted the soft and sweet Regina, who knew how to wrap a scarf around you to actually warm you and who handed you tissue from her purse when you had a runny nose. It was soft and warm.

The next thing she noticed was that she was sleeping in a huge bed, fully snuggled against the woman of her dreams. Regina looked so calm and serene lying there against her chest, a soft amount of her tank top fisted into her hand. Emma couldn't resist brushing her fingers through Regina's silken hair a couple of times.

Emma remembered the night before and how well it had all gone. She remembered how Regina had asked her on to a second date and how she, Emma, had basically told her she liked her only some minutes before that. She remembered how Regina had helped her get dressed and how she had loaned her a new toothbrush. She remembered the fit of laughed that had enfolded the brunette when she had dived onto the bed with her. She remembered their conversation just before they had fallen asleep.

That made her green eyes grow slightly larger as she softly started to poke Regina's cheek in order to wake the other woman. Softly her full lashes fluttered before chocolate eyes were revealed under the lids. There was an instant smile when Regina realised where she was and who she was snuggled up to.

"Hi." Emma whispered.

"Hey." Regina said just as quietly.

They were so close to each other. Only some breaths could fit between them as they breathed calmly in sync. Emma wasn't afraid of the words she was gonna say nor was she afraid of the answer because she knew what it was gonna be. But there was something about their current state she didn't want to break. She was still going to.

"Ask me."

Regina looked confused. "What?"

"Regina." Emma looked at her pleadingly. "Ask me."

And that was when Regina realised what the blonde wanted her to ask. She didn't waste another second. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please." Emma's whisper was muffled as full lips covered her thinner ones in a soft first kiss. They kept their mouths pressed together for a while, breathing together before Regina opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Emma was more than happy to join in as their mouths started to move like it was a private dance only they knew how to dance. Regina pressed herself harder towards Emma and Emma's arms wrapped to bring her closer to her body.

The kiss turned hungrier and deeper by the second. Neither of then had come up for air which soon became a problem since one had to breathe in order to survive. They separated for a while, breathing deeply, their eyes never leaving one another. Regina was the first one who started to smile, Emma soon joining her.

They had no idea what was gonna happen next, but neither of them really minded, because they knew this was only the beginning.

* * *

/ i hope you have enjoyed this story, please let me know how you feel. also... i'm writing a sequel.


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